uphill

(it's) all uphill from here

(Something is) very difficult or challenging from this point on. Well, we're down 17–1. It's all uphill from here, fellas. Getting the proposal approved was the easy part. The rest of the project is all uphill from here. If you only have a D average halfway through the semester, I guess it's all uphill from here.

See also: all, here, uphill

an uphill battle

A task that is very daunting from the outset and continues to be challenging. The incumbent is so popular that defeating her will be an uphill battle. I'm terrible at math, so I have a real uphill battle ahead of me if I want to improve my grade in Algebra. She wants to become a famous actor in Hollywood? Yikes, there's an uphill battle.

See also: an, battle, uphill

an uphill fight

A task that is very daunting from the outset and continues to be challenging. The incumbent is so popular that defeating her will be an uphill fight. I'm terrible at math, so I have a real uphill fight ahead of me if I want to improve my grade in Algebra. She wants to become a famous actor in Hollywood? Yikes, there's an uphill fight.

See also: an, fight, uphill

an uphill job

A task that is very daunting from the outset and continues to be challenging. The incumbent is so popular that defeating her will be an uphill job. I'm terrible at math, so I have a real uphill job ahead of me if I want to improve my grade in Algebra. She wants to become a famous actor in Hollywood? Yikes, there's an uphill job.

See also: an, job, uphill

an uphill struggle

A task that is very daunting from the outset and continues to be challenging. The incumbent is so popular that defeating her will be an uphill struggle. I'm terrible at math, so I have a real uphill struggle ahead of me if I want to improve my grade in Algebra. She wants to become a famous actor in Hollywood? Yikes, there's an uphill struggle.

See also: an, struggle, uphill

an uphill task

A task that is very daunting from the outset and continues to be challenging. The incumbent is so popular that defeating her will be an uphill task. I'm terrible at math, so I have a real uphill task ahead of me if I want to improve my grade in Algebra. She wants to become a famous actor in Hollywood? Yikes, there's an uphill task.

See also: an, task, uphill

when I was a kid, I walked to school uphill both ways

A humorous phrase typically directed at someone younger than the speaker, so as to underscore challenges that the younger generation does not have to endure. The phrase has many variants, usually with more details added for increasingly outrageous emphasis, such as "I walked to school uphill both ways barefoot." Grandpa always used to tell me, "When I was a kid, I walked to school uphill both way," but I didn't believe him. Kids today are so spoiled! When I was a kid, I walked to school uphill both ways in the snow, with no shoes or jacket!

See also: both, school, to, uphill, walk, way

when I was your age, I walked to school uphill both ways

A humorous phrase typically directed at someone younger than the speaker, used to underscore challenges that the younger generation does not have to endure. The phrase has many variants, usually with more details added for increasingly outrageous emphasis, such as "I walked to school uphill both ways in the snow." Grandpa always used to tell me, "When I was your age, I walked to school uphill both ways," but I didn't believe him. Kids today are so spoiled! When I was your age, I walked to school uphill both ways in the snow, with no shoes or jacket!

See also: both, school, to, uphill, walk, way

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

uphill battle

 and uphill struggle

Fig. a hard struggle. Convincing the senator to see our point of view was an uphill battle, but we finally succeeded.

See also: battle, uphill

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

it's all downhill

Also, it's all uphill from here. See under downhill all the way.

See also: all, downhill

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.

an uphill ˈstruggle/ˈbattle/ˈtask

something that is difficult and takes a lot of effort over a long period of time: After the recent scandal, he faces an uphill struggle to win back public support before the next election.

See also: an, battle, struggle, task, uphill

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017