hardˈen transitive verb

1. To make hard, harder or hardy
2. To make firm
3. To strengthen
4. To confirm in wickedness
5. To make insensitive

intransitive verb

1. To become hard or harder (lit or figurative)
2. (of a market or prices) to stop fluctuating, esp to rise

hardˈened adjective

1. Made hard
2. Unfeeling
3. Obdurate

hardˈener noun

hardˈening noun

1. The act or fact of making or becoming hard
2. A substance added to harden anything
3. Sclerosis of the arteries

hardˈish adjective

Somewhat hard

hardˈly adverb

1. With difficulty
2. Scarcely, not quite
3. Severely, harshly

interjection

I shouldn't think so, it seems unlikely

hardˈness noun

1. The quality of being hard
2. Power of, and resistance to, scratching (mining)

hardˈship noun

1. A thing, or conditions, hard to bear
2. Privation
3. An instance of hard treatment (obsolete)

hard-a-leeˈ adverb

Close to the lee-side, etc

hard-and-fastˈ adjective

(of a rule, etc) rigidly laid down and adhered to

hard-and-fastˈness noun

hardˈback noun

A book with rigid covers (also adjective)

hardˈbacked adjective

hardˈbake noun

Almond toffee

hardˈball noun

No-nonsense, tough tactics used for (esp political) gain

hardˈbeam noun

The hornbeam

hardˈ-billed adjective

Having a hard bill or beak

hardˈ-bitten adjective

1. Given to hard biting, tough in fight
2. Ruthless, callous

hardˈboard noun

Compressed board made from wood fibre

hard-boiledˈ adjective

1. (of eggs) boiled until solid
2. (of a person) callous, brazen or cynical (informal)
3. Practical

hard bop noun

A type of jazz, developed in the late 1950s, with less complex rhythms than bop

hard card noun (computing)

A hard disk on a card for use with a personal computer

hard case noun (slang)

A person difficult to deal with or reform

hard cash noun

1. Coin
2. Ready money

hard cheese noun (slang)

Bad luck (chiefly as interjection)

hard coal noun

Anthracite

hard copy noun (computing)

Output printed on paper, legible to the human reader, as distinct from material which is coded or stored on disk

hardˈ-copy adjective

hard core noun

1. A durable, unyielding central part
2. (usu hardˈ-core) the rubble and other material used in the foundation of roadways
3. Something very resistant to change, as, eg the most loyal or the most diehard members of a group

hardˈ-core adjective

1. Relating to a hard core
2. Blatant
3. (of pornography) explicit, very obscene
4. (of rock music) consisting of short fast songs with minimal melody and aggressive delivery

hard court noun

A tennis court laid with asphalt or concrete, etc, not grass

hardˈcover same as hardback above.

hardˈ-cured adjective

(of fish) thoroughly cured by drying in the sun

hard currency noun

1. Metallic money
2. A currency with a high, stable or improving exchange rate, not subject to depreciation
3. A currency backed by bullion

hard disk noun (computing)

A metal disc with a magnetic coating, in a sealed rigid container, having a higher recording density than a floppy disk

hardˈ-drawn adjective

(of wire, etc) drawn when cold to give the required thickness

hard drinker noun

Someone who drinks alcohol persistently and excessively

hard drive or hard disk drive noun (computing)

A disk drive that controls the recording and reading of data on a hard disk

hardˈ-earned adjective

Earned through hard work or with difficulty

hard edge adjective

(of a style of abstract painting) using bright areas of colour with sharply defined edges

hardˈface noun

A soullessly relentless person

hardˈ-faced adjective

1. Tough-looking
2. Uncompromising
3. Unsympathetic
4. Unsentimental

hard facts plural noun

Undeniable, stubborn facts

hard-favˈoured or hard-featˈured adjective

Having hard, coarse, or forbidding features

hardˈ-favˈouredness noun

hard-featˈuredness noun

hard feelings plural noun

Hostility, resentment

hardˈ-fern noun

The northern fern (Lomaria or Blechnum)

hard-fistˈed adjective

1. Having hard or strong fists or hands
2. Close-fisted
3. Niggardly

hardˈ-fought adjective

Determinedly contested

hardˈ-got or hardˈ-gotten adjective

Obtained with difficulty

hardˈ-grained adjective

1. Having a close firm grain
2. Forbidding

hardˈgrass noun

Cocksfoot or other coarse grass

hardˈhack noun

An American spiraea

hard-handˈed adjective

1. Having hard hands
2. Rough
3. Severe

hard hat noun

1. A bowler hat
2. A protective helmet worn by building workers, etc
3. A worker who typically wears one
4. An obstinately conservative person

hardˈhead noun

1. Knapweed
2. A fish of various kinds (eg gurnard, menhaden, father-lasher)

hard-headˈed adjective

1. Shrewd
2. Pitiless

hard-heartˈed adjective

1. Unfeeling
2. Cruel

hard-heartˈedly adverb

hard-heartˈedness noun

hard-hitˈ adjective

1. Seriously hurt, as by a loss of money, the death of a loved one, etc
2. Deeply smitten with love

hard-hittˈing adjective

1. Duly condemnatory
2. Frankly condemnatory, pulling no punches

hard house noun

A form of house music (qv) with a particularly strong beat

hard labour noun

Physical labour as an additional punishment to imprisonment, abolished in 1948

hard landing noun

One made by a spacecraft, etc in which the craft is destroyed on impact

hard launch noun (commerce)

The official introduction of a new product the general public

hard left or hard right noun

The extremes of political thought, allegiance, etc, favouring the left (socialist) or right (conservative) views

hard line noun

A hardline attitude or policy

hardˈline adjective

1. (of an attitude or policy) definite and unyielding
2. Having such an attitude or policy

hardlinˈer noun

hard lines plural noun

1. A hard lot
2. Bad luck (usu as interjection)

hard luck noun

Hard lines, bad luck

hard-luck story noun

A person's (esp false or exaggerated) account of his or her own bad luck and suffering, usu intended to gain sympathy

hard man noun (informal)

1. A criminal specializing in acts of violence
2. Generally, a tough man

hardˈ-metal noun

Sintered tungsten carbide, used for the tip of high-speed cutting tools

hardˈmouthed adjective

1. (of a horse) with a mouth insensible to the bit
2. Not easily managed

hardˈnosed adjective (informal)

Tough, unsentimental

hard on or hardˈ-on noun (vulgar slang)

An erection of the penis

hard pad noun

Once considered to be a neurotropic virus disease of dogs, now recognized as a symptom of distemper, causing hardness of the pads of the feet

hard palate noun

The bony front part of the palate

hardˈ-pan noun

1. A hard layer often underlying the superficial soil
2. The lowest level

hardˈparts plural noun

The skeletal material in an organism

hardˈ-paste adjective

(of porcelain) made of china clay and altered granite

hardˈ-pressed or hardˈ-pushed adjective

1. In difficulties
2. Under pressure
3. Closely pursued

hard radiation noun

The more penetrating types of X-rays, beta rays and gamma rays

hard-ridˈing adjective

Strenuously riding

hard right see hard left above.

hard rock noun

A style of rock music, usu structurally and rhythmically simple and highly amplified

hard-rock geology noun (informal)

The geology of igneous and metamorphic rocks

hard roe see roe¹

hard rubber noun

Ebonite

hardˈ-ruled adjective (Shakespeare)

Ruled with difficulty

hardˈ-run adjective

Greatly pressed

hard sauce noun

A sauce made with butter and sugar, and flavoured with rum or other liquor

hard science noun

Any of the physical or natural sciences

hard'scrabble adjective (chiefly US)

Esp of a place, barren and impoverished

hard-secˈtored adjective (computing; now obsolete)

Of a floppy disk, formatted by a set of holes punched near the hub of the disk, each hole marking the start of a sector

hard sell noun

An aggressive and insistent method of promoting, advertising or selling

hardˈ-set adjective

1. Beset by difficulty
2. Rigid
3. Obstinate

hardˈshell adjective

1. Having a hard shell
2. Rigidly orthodox
3. Uncompromising

hardshell clam noun

The quahog

hard shoulder noun

A surfaced strip forming the outer edge of a motorway, used when stopping in an emergency

hard-standˈing noun

A hard (concrete, etc) surface on which cars, aircraft, etc may be parked

hard stocks plural noun

Bricks that, though sound, are overburnt and of bad shape or colour

hard stuff noun (informal)

1. Strong alcohol, spirits
2. Important information

hard swearing noun

1. Persistent and reckless swearing (by a witness)
2. (often) perjury

hardˈtack noun

Ship biscuit, a hard biscuit formerly used as food on sailing ships

hardˈtail noun (informal)

A motorcycle or bicycle with no suspension at the rear

hard time noun

1. An unpleasant experience
2. A difficult task

hardˈtop noun

1. A rigid roof on a motor car
2. A motor car with such a roof

hard-upˈ adjective

Short of money, or of anything else (with for)

hard-visˈaged adjective

Of a hard, coarse or forbidding face

hardˈware noun

1. Domestic goods (esp tools, etc) made of the baser metals, such as iron or copper
2. Mechanical equipment including war equipment
3. Mechanical, electrical or electronic components of a computer (cf software)

hardˈwareman noun

hard-wearˈing adjective

Lasting well in use, durable

hard wheat noun

Wheat having a hard kernel with a high gluten content

hard'wire transitive verb (computing)

To incorporate (a feature) into a system in such a way that it cannot subsequently be modified

hardˈ-wired adjective

(of a computer function) depending on its circuitry, which cannot therefore be modified by software

hardˈ-won adjective

Won with toil and difficulty

hardˈwood noun

1. Timber of deciduous trees, whose comparatively slow growth produces compact hard wood
2. Such a tree

hard words plural noun

1. Words that give difficulty to a half-educated reader
2. Harsh words
3. Angry words

hardworkˈing adjective

Diligent, industrious

be hard going see under going¹

die hard see under die¹

go hard but

Be almost certain that

go hard with

Turn out badly for

hard as nails

1. Very hard
2. Callous
3. Very tough

hard at it

Working hard, very busy

hard done by

Badly treated

harden off

To accustom (a plant) to outdoor conditions by gradually increasing exposure to the weather

hard of hearing

Somewhat deaf

hard on the heels of

Following immediately after

hard put to it

In dire straits or difficulty

hold hard

To stop

no hard feelings

No offence taken, no animosity (as a result of a defeat, etc)

put the hard word on (Aust)

To ask, particularly for a loan or (esp sexual) favour

the hard way

Through personal endeavour or salutary experience