hard-boiled

hard-boiled {adj.}

Unrefined; tough; merciless.

"Because you were two minutes late," my hard-boiled boss cried, "I will deduct fifteen minutes worth from your salary!"

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Source: A Dictionary of American Idioms

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hard-nosed

[hard-nosed] {adj.}, {slang} Tough or rugged; very strict; not weak or soft; stubborn, especially in a fight or contest. * /Joe's father was a hard-nosed army officer who had seen […] A Dictionary of American Idioms

hard row to hoe

[hard row to hoe] or [tough row to hoe] {n. phr.} A hard life to live; a very hard job to do. * /She has a hard row to hoe […] A Dictionary of American Idioms

boil over

[boil over] {v. phr.} 1. To rise due to boiling and overflow down the sides of a pan or a pot. * /"Watch out!" Jane cried. "The milk is boiling […] A Dictionary of American Idioms

boil down

[boil down] {v.} 1. To boil away some of the water from; make less by boiling. * /She boiled down the maple sap to a thick syrup./ * /The fruit […] A Dictionary of American Idioms

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