Mr. Howe was known to be very hard-nosed, but he could really be friendly if you got to know him.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
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 service in two wars./ * /Pete is a good boy; he plays hard nosed football./… … Dictionary of American idioms
hard-nosed — adj. facing reality squarely; guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory; tough and pragmatic; as, a hard nosed businessman. Syn: down to earth, hardheaded, practical, pragmatic. [WordNet 1.5] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
hard-nosed — [ ,hard nouzd ] adjective determined to succeed and not influenced by emotions: a hard nosed businesswoman … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
hard-nosed — UK US /ˌhɑːdˈnəʊzd/ adjective ► practical and determined: »a hard nosed negotiator … Financial and business terms
hard-nosed — adj [usually before noun] not affected by emotions, and determined to get what you want ▪ a hard nosed businessman … Dictionary of contemporary English
hard-nosed — (adj.) stubborn, 1927, from HARD (Cf. hard) + NOSE (Cf. nose) (n.). Earlier of bullets or shells with hard tips, and of dogs that had difficulty following a scent … Etymology dictionary
hard-nosed — / hardheaded [adj] stubborn astute, bullheaded*, hard*, hard boiled*, headstrong, intractable, levelheaded, locked in*, mulish, obstinate, pertinacious, perverse, pigheaded*, practical, pragmatic, rational, realistic, resolute, sensible, shrewd,… … New thesaurus
hard-nosed — ☆ hard nosed [härd′nōzd΄ ] adj. Informal 1. indomitable; tough; stubborn 2. shrewd and practical hardnose n … English World dictionary
hard-nosed — ► ADJECTIVE informal ▪ realistic and tough minded … English terms dictionary
hard-nosed — adjective guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory a hardheaded appraisal of our position a hard nosed labor leader completely practical in his approach to business not ideology but pragmatic politics • Syn: ↑hardheaded,… … Useful english dictionary
