heavy going
1
7.1
- adjective
:
difícil
- I started reading the novel, but it was heavy going due to the complex language used.
Examples
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It's awful heavy going, Disko.
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Finding feed would take up a lot of time, Leo realized, and unless there was no snow up ahead, the heavy going could add a few days to their trip.
Fiction book (1997) -
Oh, I planned to read them in their entirety eventually, but I knew it would be heavy going.
Fiction book (1992) -
All this discussion may seem heavy going for a consideration of everyday utilitarian items such as bicycles and their decoration.
Academic text (1999) -
I agree it's unbelievably heavy going at times, but it holds some interesting nuggets, as Morgan notes, all the way up to the point that it finally dawns on the protagonist that the comments are not attacking but trying to offer some fairly good and pertinent advice.
Blog text (9) -
The community spirit is seen to be cultivated solely by Carlyle, and rather against the wishes of the more independent Emmets, who "sometimes found the joint vacations heavy going" (34).
Academic text (2001) -
The weather conditions made the hike heavy going, requiring extra effort from everyone in the group.
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After the first few chapters, I realized the textbook was going to be heavy going for the whole semester.
Synonyms
221
2.1
Hard to do or understand
4
5.3
A situation or task that is hard to do
Antonyms
How Difficult
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'heavy' (burdensome, difficult) combined with 'going' (progress, ease of movement) yields a straightforward compositional meaning of progress that is difficult or slow. This adjective+noun metaphor (heavy = difficult) is common and therefore an average B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Heavy going comes from the simple picture of trying to move when something is very heavy or when you walk through thick mud. If the heavy load or the sticky ground makes your going slow, it is hard to make progress, so the phrase now means 'difficult' or 'slow to get through'.