tough
adjective /tʌf/
/tʌf/
(comparative tougher, superlative toughest)
Idioms - having or causing problems or difficulties
艰苦的；艰难的；棘手的 - a tough childhood
苦难的童年 - It was a tough decision to make.
那是个很难作的决定。 - During the interview I was asked some really tough questions.
面试时，有人问了我一些非常棘手的问题。 - Now Karen must make one of the toughest choices of her life.
现在凯伦必须做出她一生中最艰难的选择之一。 - She's been having a tough time of it (= a lot of problems) lately.
她最近的日子一直很难熬。 - Times are tough at the moment.
眼下时局艰难。 - We've got a tough fight ahead.
我们前面还有一场艰苦的战斗。 - He faces the toughest test of his leadership so far.
他面临迄今为止对自己的领导工作最严峻的考验。 - What was the toughest job you ever had?
你做过的最艰难的工作是什么？ - a tough task
艰巨的任务 - It can be tough trying to juggle a career and a family.
要事业家庭两不误，有时会很艰难。 - He faces tough competition from the rest of the team.
他面临着来自团队其他成员的激烈竞争。 - tough on somebody Puberty can be tough on kids.
青春期对孩子来说很艰难。 - I knew she was going to be tough to beat.
我知道她会很难被打败。
- He may find it tough to pursue his plans.
他可能会发现很难继续他的计划。 - The strong dollar has made it tough for small businesses.
强势美元使小企业的日子不好过。 - Things were pretty tough at first.
起初事情有点棘手。 - It's tough out there in the real world.
外面的现实世界有很多不如意。 - The next couple of months will be tough, but I'm sure we'll cope.
接下来的几个月会很艰难，但我相信我们会应付的。 - It's very tough on the wives when the husbands go off like that.
丈夫那样离开会造成妻子的处境很困难。
Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- seem
- get
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- on
- a tough childhood
- demanding that particular rules be obeyed and showing a lack of sympathy for any problems that this may cause
严厉的；强硬的；无情的 - tough with somebody/something It's about time teachers started to get tough with bullies.
现在教师要对横行霸道的学生开始采取严厉措施了。 - tough on somebody/something Politicians believe they have to be tough on crime.
政客们认为他们必须严厉打击犯罪。 - Don't be too tough on him—he was only trying to help.
别对他要求过高，他只是想帮忙。 - The school takes a tough line on (= punishes severely) cheating.
学校对作弊行为的惩罚很严厉。 - The president is well known for his tough stance on immigrants and asylum-seekers.
总统以其对移民和寻求庇护者的强硬立场而闻名。 - tough new anti-terror measures
严厉的新反恐措施 - Local traders are calling for tougher action against vandals.
当地商人呼吁对破坏者采取更严厉的行动。
- Has the government been tough enough on polluters?
政府对造成污染者的态度够强硬吗？ - The government has promised to get tough on crime.
政府已经承诺要严厉打击犯罪。 - You have to be tough with these young thugs.
对这些年纪轻轻的暴徒态度一定要强硬。 - There will be tough new controls on car emissions.
对汽车尾气的排放量将有新的严格控制。 - We must take a tough stance against terrorism.
我们一定要采取强硬立场反对恐怖主义。
Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- become
- get
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- on
- with
- tough with somebody/something It's about time teachers started to get tough with bullies.
- strong enough to deal successfully with difficult conditions or situations
坚强的；健壮的；能吃苦耐劳的；坚韧不拔的 - a tough breed of cattle
耐劣等饲养条件的牛种 - He's not tough enough for a career in sales.
他干推销这一行缺少足够的韧劲。 - She’s a tough cookie/customer (= somebody who knows what they want and is not easily influenced by other people).
她是个有主见的人。 - Celine is a fighter, a tough nut.
席琳是一个斗士，一个坚强的人。 - How mentally tough are you?
你的精神有多坚强？
Collocations Dictionaryverbs- appear
- be
- feel
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- a tough breed of cattle
- (of a person
人 彪悍的；粗暴的；粗野的 - You think you're so tough, don't you?
你以为自己够厉害的，是不是？ - He plays the tough guy in the movie.
他在电影中扮演硬汉。 - Then this guy started acting tough.
然后这个人的行为开始强硬了。
Collocations Dictionaryverbs- appear
- be
- feel
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- You think you're so tough, don't you?
- (of a place or area) with a lot of crime or violence
(指地方或者地区)有很多犯罪或者暴力 - She grew up in a tough neighbourhood.
她在一个艰苦的社区长大。
- She grew up in a tough neighbourhood.
- difficult to cut or bite on
难切开的；嚼不烂的；老的 - The meat was a bit tough.
肉有点硬。 - Overcooking the burger will make it tough and dry.
汉堡煮得太久会变得又硬又干。
WordfinderTopics Cooking and eatingb2- chewy
- creamy
- crisp
- crunchy
- greasy
- juicy
- mushy
- rubbery
- tender
- tough
- The meat was a bit tough.
- not easily cut, broken, torn, etc.
坚固的；不易切开（或打破、撕破等）的 - a tough pair of shoes
一双结实的鞋子 - The reptile's skin is tough and scaly.
这种爬行动物的皮肤坚韧并带有鳞片。
- a tough pair of shoes
- tough (on somebody) (informal) unlucky for somebody in a way that seems unfair
不幸的；倒霉的 - It was tough on her being dropped from the team like that.
她就这样被队里刷了下来，真是倒霉。 - (ironic) ‘I can't get it finished in time.’ ‘Tough! (= I don't feel sorry about it.)’
“我无法按时完成。” “活该倒霉！”
- It was tough on her being dropped from the team like that.
difficult困难
strict严厉
strong强壮
violent暴力
meat肉
not easily damaged不易损坏
not lucky
词源Old English tōh, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch taai and German zäh.
Idioms
hang tough
- (North American English, informal) to be determined and refuse to change your attitude or ideas
立场坚定；态度坚决
a hard/tough nut
- (informal) a person who is difficult to deal with or to influence
难对付的人；难说服的人
a hard/tough nut (to crack)
- a difficult problem or situation to deal with
棘手的问题；不好对付的情形
a hard/tough act to follow
- a person or event that is so good or successful at something that it will be difficult for anyone/anything else coming after them to be as good or successful
令人望尘莫及的人 - She has been an excellent principal and will be a hard act to follow.
她是一位优秀的校长，令人无法与之媲美。 - Their contribution will prove a tough act to follow.
他们的贡献令人难以企及。
- She has been an excellent principal and will be a hard act to follow.
talk tough (on something)
- (informal, especially North American English) to tell people very strongly what you want
强硬地说；强烈地要求
(as) tough as old boots | (as) tough as nails (informal)
- very strong and able to deal successfully with difficult conditions or situations
很强壮；坚韧不拔；雷打不动 - She’s almost 90 but she’s still as tough as old boots.
她快90岁了，但仍然像旧靴子一样坚韧。
More Like This Similes in idiomsSimiles in idioms- (as) bald as a coot
- (as) blind as a bat
- (as) bright as a button
- (as) bold as brass
- as busy as a bee
- as clean as a whistle
- (as) dead as a/the dodo
- (as) deaf as a post
- (as) dull as ditchwater
- (as) fit as a fiddle
- as flat as a pancake
- (as) good as gold
- (as) mad as a hatter/a March hare
- (as) miserable/ugly as sin
- as old as the hills
- (as) pleased/proud as Punch
- as pretty as a picture
- (as) regular as clockwork
- (as) quick as a flash
- (as) safe as houses
- (as) sound as a bell
- (as) steady as a rock
- (as) thick as two short planks
- (as) tough as old boots
- She’s almost 90 but she’s still as tough as old boots.
tough luck (informal)
- used to show sympathy for somebody that something bad that has happened to
（表示同情）真不幸，真不走运 - ‘I failed by one point.’ ‘That's tough luck.’
“我差一分没及格。” “运气真不好。”
- ‘I failed by one point.’ ‘That's tough luck.’
- (ironic) used to show that you do not feel sorry for somebody who has a problem
（表示并不同情）该你倒霉 - ‘If you take the car, I won't be able to go out.’ ‘Tough luck!’
“如果你把车开走，我就出不去了。” “该你倒霉！”
- ‘If you take the car, I won't be able to go out.’ ‘Tough luck!’
when the going gets tough (the tough get going)
- (saying) when conditions or progress become difficult (strong and determined people work even harder to succeed)
当条件变得艰苦时，当进展变得困难时（隐含有志者更勇往直前之意）