hard done by

English

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Adjective

hard done by (comparative more hard done by, superlative most hard done by)

1. (UK, idiomatic) used, cheated, or exploited by

   King should feel a bit hard done by after being replaced in the team.

   • 2011 October 1, Alistair Magowan, “Man Utd 2 - 0 Norwich”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     United could have made it 3-0 with further chances, but Norwich's Andrew Crofts also had a shot saved and his side can come away from this encounter with some reason to feel hard done by.

References

• “hard done by”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.