long row to hoe
- idiom
- Informal
:
tarea difícil
- It really is a long row to hoe, and I'm trying to see the end in sight, but with each hill we have to climb, I get a little more weary.
Examples
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You've got a long row to hoe before you're perfect, you know.
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And since it is a long row to hoe, the sooner we get started, the sooner our children will enjoy better lives.
Blog text (3) -
They have a very long row to hoe, as my grandmother would say.
Blog text (23) -
It looks like your family has a long row to hoe with this nutcase.
Blog text (11) -
Turning around a failing company is a long row to hoe, but with dedication, it can be done.
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Studying for the final exams will be a long row to hoe, requiring many hours of preparation.
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As she started her new business, she knew it would be a long row to hoe, demanding perseverance and hard work.
Synonyms
41
4.9
A long difficult time that needs steady effort and patience
29
3.4
A difficult task that needs a lot of effort
16
6.9
A task that is very hard to do
4
5.3
A situation or task that is hard to do
A very hard job that makes your body very tired
How Difficult
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally describes a 'long row' that must be hoed, so knowing 'long', 'row', and 'hoe' lets a learner infer an image of prolonged manual work; the agricultural metaphor directly maps to the idea of a difficult, persistent task. However, the idiomatic extension from literal hoeing to a general challenging undertaking is metaphorical and may not be fully predictable without some exposure, so it is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Long row to hoe may come from farming: a row is a line of plants and a hoe is a tool used to clear weeds, so a very long row takes a lot of time and hard work. That's why the phrase means 'a difficult task that needs steady effort'.