Idioms

hard yards

Also found in: Dictionary.

do the hard yards

To do particularly hard work or put forth a large amount of effort (toward some task), especially in sports. You're never going to have a successful business if you aren't willing to do the hard yards yourself. Our team did the hard yards all game long, and we managed to pull out a victory in the end because of it. If you don't do the hard yards in the offseason, you won't be ready for the rigors of the regular season.
See also: hard, yard

hard yards

Particularly hard work or a large amount of effort (toward some task), especially in sports. Often used with the verbs "do," "make," or "put in." You're never going to have a successful business if you aren't willing to put in the hard yards yourself. Our team did the hard yards all game long, and we managed to pull out a victory in the end because of it. I hope you're prepared for a challenge because it'll take some hard yards to get your company up and running.
See also: hard, yard
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
See also:
References in periodicals archive
If the openers had stayed and done the finishing after the hard yards. Why not stay till the end and get the runs under your belt (from the openers)?
IPL 2019: Chennai Super Kings in the final because of bowlers, says MS Dhoni
Everton didn't put in the hard yards or the dirty work required to grind out a result.
We seem to think we are Madrid and forget to do the hard work
"Now the hard yards start, which is season by season, delivering organic growth.
Why the 'hard yards' have started at Wasps to attract crowds to Ricoh Arena; The near-capacity Ricoh Arena crowd for Bath game was Wasps' second-biggest at the venue
Injury to Billy Vunipola and Nathan Hughes has created a vacancy for a destructive ball-carrier to eat up the hard yards in Rome.
LAWES HAVING A BALL
McCormack still has a little way to go before he is as physically fit as Bruce would like, but he has been putting in the hard yards in the last two weeks.
Can Ross rescue club career after horror start?
KILMARNOCK'S former Boro winger Jordan Jones is hoping the hard yards reap more rewards.
Doing the hard yards is paying off for former Boro man
I've been putting the hard yards back in and it's paying off for me."
ROCKET SCIENCE; Ron's reluctant record bid snooker
And the 23-year-old vowed to put in the hard yards if selected for Pakistan.
Amir picked for NZ tour
The Red Rose were bullied by France up front in Paris two weeks ago and were also below-par against their RBS Six Nations rivals seven days earlier, criticised for attempting too many passes out of the tackle instead of making hard yards.
Wood: England will keep it simple
United need to get more out of their existing players -- and that probably means hard yards on the training ground, where existing methods didn't seem to be working.
Steve McClaren set a challenge: Get an extra ten per cent out of the Newcastle squad; Newcastle head coach Steve McClaren has been told that he needs to extract more from that squad than they are currently showing
HUNTER'S VERDICT Sunderland put in the hard yards to guarantee safety at Arsenal in midweek, so the pressure is off at Stamford Bridge.
BIG MATCH PREVIEW: Chelsea v Sunderland
But we are very lucky at Warwickshire that we have some great players and even luckier that we have a group of players who are prepared to put in the hard yards."
Attack is built on hard work
Clarke said his incumbent pacers had put in the hard yards at Port Elizabeth, and reiterated his preference for a seam-bowling all-rounder in the team.
Oz selectors may call in reserve bowlers for Cape Town Test
Copyright © 2003-2025 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.