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a long row to hoe
A particularly difficult or problematic task, situation, or set of circumstances to contend with or confront. Immigration reform was one of the new president's primary campaign promises, but it will likely prove a long row to hoe, given the deep divisions in congress. I know finishing this thesis will be a long row to hoe, but I'm actually looking forward to the challenge.
row back
To quickly or abruptly reverse or retreat from one's earlier position, decision, or opinion. Primarily heard in UK. The actor had to row back when he let slip a racist remark during the press conference. The government is rowing back on the decision to increase water charges after nationwide protests erupted on Friday.
get one's ducks in a row
Fig. to get one's affairs in order or organized. Jane is organized. She really gets all her ducks in a row right away. You can't hope to go into a company and sell something until you get your ducks in a row.
hoe one's own row
Rur. to mind one's own business. Tom: You're cutting up those carrots awful small. Jane: Hoe your own row! He didn't get involved in other people's fights. He just hoed his own row.
kick up a fuss
and kick up a row; kick up a stormFig. to become a nuisance; to misbehave and disturb (someone). (Row rhymes with cow. Note the variations in the examples.) The customer kicked up such a fuss about the food that the manager came to apologize. I kicked up such a row that they told me to leave. Oh, what pain! My arthritis is kicking up a storm.
row (someone or something) out to something
to carry someone or something in a rowboat from the shore out to something. Will you row me out to the island? I rowed out all the visitors to the little island.
tough row to hoe
and hard row to hoeFig. a difficult task to carry out; a heavy set of burdens. It's a tough row to hoe, but hoe it you will. This is not an easy task. This is a hard row to hoe.
have your ducks in a row
also get your ducks in a row to organize things well I thought Mike was extremely smart and always had his ducks in a row.
Related vocabulary: put your (own) house in orderin a row
in a series without interruption They've won six games in a row.
Usage notes: often used with periods of time: I haven't had a good meal for three days in a row.
See also: row
a tough row to hoe
a difficult situation to deal with The author said that he knew it would be a tough row to hoe when he began research for this book.
get your ducks in a row
(American informal) to organize things well The government talks about tax changes but they won't fix a date or an amount - they just can't get their ducks in a row.
kick up a fuss/row/stink
to complain loudly in order to show that you are very annoyed about something Our food was cold so my father kicked up a fuss and refused to pay the service charge.
a hard/tough row to hoe
(American) a difficult situation to deal with Teachers have a tough row to hoe in today's schools.
See kick up a fussskid row
(mainly American informal) a poor area in a city where people who have no jobs and homes live in cheap rooms or sleep outdoors She works as a social worker with alcoholics on skid row. (mainly American informal)
get one's ducks in a row
Also, have one's ducks in a row. Complete one's preparations, become efficient and well organized, as in I'm trying to get my ducks in a row before I go to Europe. This synonym for get one's act together probably alludes to lining up target ducks in a shooting gallery. [Slang; 1970s]
kick up a fuss
Also, kick up a row or storm . Create a disturbance; start a fight. For example, The soup was cold, and Aunt Mary began to kick up a fuss, calling for the manager, or There's no need to kick up a row; the boys will leave quietly, or If they fire him, Carl is ready to kick up a storm. These expressions all employ kick up in the sense of "raise dust or dirt," a usage dating from the mid-1700s.
skid row
A squalid district inhabited by derelicts and vagrants; also, a life of impoverished dissipation. For example, That part of town is our skid row, or His drinking was getting so bad we thought he was headed for skid row. This expression originated in the lumber industry, where it signified a road or track made of logs laid crosswise over which logs were slid. Around 1900 the name Skid Road was used for the part of a town frequented by loggers, which had many bars and brothels, and by the 1930s the variant skid row, with its current meaning, came into use.
tough row to hoe
Also, hard row to hoe. A difficult course, hard work to accomplish, as in He knew he'd have a tough row to hoe by running against this popular incumbent. [First half of 1800s]
skid row
n. the name for a place populated with ruined alcoholics and other down-and-out people. Just because they’re on skid row, it doesn’t mean they’re beyond help.
skid row bum
n. a down-and-out person; a low alcoholic beggar. Do you want to end up a skid row bum?
tough row to hoe
n. a difficult task to carry out; a heavy set of burdens. This is not an easy task. This is a tough row to hoe.
a tough row to hoe
Informal A difficult situation to endure.