a hard/tough nut (to crack)
noun phrase
: a person or thing that is difficult to deal with, understand, or influence
The team's defense is a tough nut to crack.
The problem is a hard nut to crack.
He's a tough nut, but I think I can get him to agree to the contract.
Examples of a hard/tough nut (to crack) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As cosmopolitan as Venice is, as historically important as one of Europe’s post-Roman, grand medieval and Renaissance trading posts, the town remains a tough nut to crack, socially speaking.
—
Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Although New York may be a tough nut to crack, Waymo remains leagues ahead of the competition.
—Emily Forlini, PC Magazine, 19 June 2025
Factors like tight profit margins, the wide variety of items customers order and the need to handle products at different temperatures all make online groceries a tough nut to crack.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2025
The Punisher has proven a tough nut crack for creatives adapting Marvel properties.
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
Still, Milchick is a tough nut to crack, his exact ambitions yet to be determined as an unsevered middle manager.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025
Suitability or the act of meeting the request posed by the human user is a tough nut to crack.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
As to why the desktop is such a hard nut to crack—there are multiple reasons, but one of the big ones is simply user inertia.
—IEEE Spectrum, 29 Mar. 2016
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Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Although New York may be a tough nut to crack, Waymo remains leagues ahead of the competition.
—Emily Forlini, PC Magazine, 19 June 2025
Factors like tight profit margins, the wide variety of items customers order and the need to handle products at different temperatures all make online groceries a tough nut to crack.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2025
The Punisher has proven a tough nut crack for creatives adapting Marvel properties.
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
Still, Milchick is a tough nut to crack, his exact ambitions yet to be determined as an unsevered middle manager.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025
Suitability or the act of meeting the request posed by the human user is a tough nut to crack.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
As to why the desktop is such a hard nut to crack—there are multiple reasons, but one of the big ones is simply user inertia.
—IEEE Spectrum, 29 Mar. 2016
Cite this Entry
“A hard/tough nut (to crack).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20hard%2Ftough%20nut%20%28to%20crack%29. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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