a hard time
1. Grief or frustration intentionally inflicted on one by another, in the form of teasing, bullying, or other ill treatment. The school bully started giving the new kid a hard time until the teacher sent him to the principal's office. I give my brother a hard time for the gangly way he runs, but jokes aside, he's quite a remarkable athlete. Aw, come on, dude, I was just giving you a hard time. No need to get upset about it.
2. Difficulty or a source of struggle. Often used in the phrase "have a hard time." I'm really having a hard time in math this semester—I need to get a tutor. A: "He's having a hard time hiding his stage fright." B: "Um, yeah, anyone could see that." I've had a hard time making friends at my new school. The other kids have been together since kindergarten and are all thick as thieves.
3. A period of emotional turmoil. I had no idea Tom was going through such a hard time because he was always so nice to me. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to start crying in your office. I've just been going through a hard time since my mom died. I went through a really hard time after Janet broke up with me, but I'm finally feeling better now.
hard time
Time spent in a prison, often implied to be as unpleasant as possible. When we catch these criminals, they're going to be doing at least 20 years of hard time. Solitary confinement is the hardest time you can do. I know he did hard time when he was younger, so I wouldn't mess with him if I were you.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
hard time
1. Also, hard times. A period of difficulty or hardship, especially financial hardship. For example, Since Mom died, Christmas has been a hard time for Dad, or It's been hard times for both of them since they split up. It is also put as have a hard time, as in I'm having a hard time finishing this book. Charles Dickens used Hard Times as the title of a novel about poverty (1854). A more recent version is have a time of it, which despite its ambiguity (not specifying either "good" or "bad") nearly always means "experiencing difficulty"; for example, We had quite a time of it in that hurricane. [Late 1300s]
2. give someone a hard time. Annoy or harass someone. For example, Don't let him give you a hard time; he's often late himself. [Colloquial; early 1900s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.