hard yards
(Redirected from do the hard yards)
English
editEtymology
editA sporting analogy referring to the game of rugby football, where making progress on the field, in measurements of yards, may lead to accomplishment and victory.[1]
Alternatively derived from sailing, when furling or unfurling the canvas from certain (perhaps higher) spars was both dangerous and difficult.
Pronunciation
editAudio (General Australian): (file)
Noun
editthe hard yards pl (plural only)
- (originally Australia) The key effort in completing a difficult task.
- Synonym: heavy lifting
- do the hard yards
- put in the hard yards
- 2007, Ian Cocoran, The Art of Digital Branding, Allworth Press, →ISBN, pages 128–129:
- As with coupons and vouchers, there is seemingly no end to the opportunities that exist to improve a Web site's traffic flow by giving something away for nothing—as long as users are prepared to put in the hard yards, of course.
- 2017 August 22, Peter Lewis, “In a tough campaign the marriage equality team faces hard yards ahead”, in The Guardian[1]:
- In tough conditions, with no room for complacency, the campaign will need to slog out the hard yards, give it 110% and leave it all on the field.
References
editFurther reading
edit- Eric Partridge (2005) “hard yards”, in Tom Dalzell and Terry Victor, editors, The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, volume 1 (A–I), London, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 967.