tough as nails
10
7.1
- idiom
- Informal
:
duro como una roca
- Despite facing many challenges, she remains tough as nails and never gives up.
- tough as nails," said
- as you know, tough as nails
- tough-as-nails father
I would say my mom, always kind, always sweet, tough as nails.
- I would say my mom, always kind, always sweet, tough as nails.
- And he said, you know, he said they were tough as nails.
- His demeanor just just straight up just doesn't take any, just doesn't take anything from anybody and it's tough as nails.
Examples
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Nancy, tough as nails in the old days, a deconstructor of Brontes and cooker of fiery curries, had nonetheless taken instruction from the streets and could now do a respectable grandmother whenever the occasion demanded.
Fiction book (1994) -
She is noble, strong, tough as nails, and unflinchingly good.
Blog text (4) -
Back then, you had to be tough as nails.
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When I played ball, you had to be tough as nails.
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That kid is tough as nails.
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And this guy was tough as nails.
Blog text (18) -
I'm going to be as tough as nails.
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She's as tough as nails.
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You're tough as nails, Quinn.
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At 82, New Yorker Louise Slaughter is the oldest woman in Congress, and she's tough as nails.
Blog text (26)
Synonyms
250
1.7
Strong and able to resist damage or rough use
4
6.1
A person who deals with problems in a realistic, determined way and is not easily moved by feelings
4
8.2
Tough and not easily upset because of difficult past experiences
Made emotionally tougher after repeated difficult experiences
Does not get upset by criticism or rude remarks
Antonyms
How Tough
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase uses the common simile pattern 'as X as Y' and relies on the literal property of 'nails' (hard/durable) to amplify 'tough', so the meaning 'very strong/resilient' is directly inferable from the constituents. This comparative/metaphorical logic is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the words will most likely understand the MWE.
Etymology
The idiom tough as nails compares a person to the hard metal nails used in building. Nails are very hard and hold things together, so saying someone is tough as nails means they are 'very strong' and not easily hurt or upset.