Hard Tasks, Difficult Challenges, Causing Difficulty and 5 More Topics · English Idioms: Difficulty

with difficulty or extra effort

"We can fit six people in the car at a push."

"At a push we could finish the project by Friday if everyone works late every night this week."

to start to deal with an inevitable challenge or difficulty

"I bit the bullet today."

"Although the task was daunting, she decided to bite the bullet and complete the difficult project."

something so unpleasant that a person has to struggle to accept it

"Losing the championship was a bitter pill to swallow."

"Losing the championship was a bitter pill to swallow for the team that had trained so hard all year."

not difficult in words compared to how difficult it can be in practice

"Getting a good job is easier said than done."

"Losing weight is easier said than done because it requires a lot of discipline and willpower every single day."

a situation that is complicated, awkward, or annoying

"This is a fine kettle of fish."

"Forgetting the tickets created a pretty kettle of fish for everyone."

someone or something that is difficult to understand, deal with, or overcome

"He is a hard nut."

"The math problem was a tough nut to crack for the students."

used to say that something is very difficult and one will need to put a lot of effort into doing it

"You have your work cut out for you."

"With only two days left to finish the report she has her work cut out for her."

used to express a sense of uncertainty or nervousness before attempting something

"I have never done this before, but here goes nothing."

"She stepped up to the podium, took a deep breath, and whispered here goes nothing before her first major speech."

to try to do something that is very unlikely to accomplish

"Getting money from him is like getting blood from a stone."

"Asking my brother for help is like getting blood out of a turnip."

to be very successful that demands a lot of hard work in order to be outdone or surpassed

"This record takes some beating."

"Her performance in the competition was so outstanding that it will undoubtedly take some beating for future athletes."

a very difficult or unreasonable request

"Finishing the project alone is a tall order."

"Finishing the project alone is a tall order and she will probably need help to meet the deadline."

used to emphasize that doing something is not easy at all

"Moving house is no picnic."

"Working two jobs while studying is definitely no picnic."

used to refer to something that is inexplicably difficult

"Getting him to talk is like pulling teeth."

"Getting him to talk about his feelings is like pulling teeth slow and very painful."

problems that a person encounters in the early stages of a project or activity

"Our new company has some teething problems."

"The new software has some teething problems but the developers are working hard to fix them as quickly as possible."

said of something that is very complex or difficult for one understands or work with

"This tax form is like Chinese arithmetic to me."

"Trying to understand the tax laws is like Chinese arithmetic confusing and impossible for most people."

(of a task) to be very difficult or almost impossible to do or complete

"This task is murder."

"This hot weather is murder when you are trying to work in an office without any air conditioning at all."

a difficult fight or challenge that requires a lot of effort and determination

"The team faced an uphill battle."

"The team faced an uphill battle after losing their best player to injury in the first game."

a task or challenge that requires an immense amount of effort, strength, or endurance to accomplish

"Cleaning the garage was a herculean task."

"Cleaning the garage was a herculean task and took the entire weekend to complete."

a difficult and challenging situation or task that requires significant effort to overcome or complete

"This task is heavy going."

"Climbing that steep, icy mountain was heavy going, demanding every ounce of his strength and determination."

a situation that causes difficulties for one

"It is a tough row to hoe."

"Teaching in an underfunded school is a tough row to hoe but the dedicated teachers do their best."

to attempt to do something that is beyond one's capability

"He bit off too much."

"Taking on three major projects simultaneously, he clearly bit off more than he could chew."

used to refer to a situation in which one becomes extremely angry, causing one's face to turn red

"He was red as cherry."

"After the argument, his face was as red as a cherry from embarrassment and anger."

used to describe a job or task that is too difficult or challenging

"Organizing a class trip is like herding cats."

"Organising a team of volunteers is like herding cats because everyone wants to do something different."

the hardest or most boring part of a task or job

"The interns did all the draft-mule work."

"The interns did all the draft mule work while the senior staff took credit for the project."

a situation that is very difficult because one is not prepared to deal with it

"He was thrown in at the deep end on his first day."

"The new manager was thrown in at the deep end on his first day without any proper training or support."

to utilize one's final and decisive efforts, often in a critical moment

"He shot his bolt early."

"After months of preparation, the athlete shot his bolt in the final race and won."

turning really red in the face because of doing a lot of physical activities

"He was red as a cherry."

"After sprinting up the steep hill in the summer heat, the hiker's face turned as red as a cherry from exertion."

a person or thing that causes persistent annoyance, trouble, or inconvenience

"This broken printer is a pain in the ass."

"Dealing with the broken printer every morning is a real pain in the ass for everyone in the office."

a situation in which an individual or organization faces negative consequences or difficulties as a result of their own achievements or accomplishments

"He became a victim of his own success and burned out."

"The small bakery became a victim of its own success when it could not keep up with customer demand."

a person or thing that is very annoying or troublesome

"He is a pain."

"Dealing with all these endless bureaucratic forms has become a real pain in the neck for me."

to start becoming a source of trouble or worry

"His behavior is beyond a joke."

"The constant noise from the construction site has gone beyond a joke and is seriously affecting our daily lives."

to not let someone do something or to prevent something from getting done by causing problems

"Don't get in the way."

"Her constant interruptions got in the way of the team finishing the project on time."

a task that needs a great amount of time and effort to finish

"This project is a long haul."

"Building a successful business from scratch is a long haul, requiring patience, dedication, and consistent effort."

something that prevents the progress or occurrence of something

"Lack of funds was the stumbling block."

"Lack of funds was the stumbling block and the project was canceled because of insufficient budget."

to exhaust one mentally or physically in order to be done or achieved

"Caring for my sick mother took a lot out of me."

"Caring for her sick mother took a lot out of her and she needed a long holiday to recover properly."

the final and decisive event or action that pushes someone beyond their tolerance or patience, leading to a significant reaction or decision

"That was the straw."

"After weeks of constant delays and poor communication, the final straw was when they lost my luggage entirely."

a problem that is in no way easy to solve or get rid of

"His gambling debt is a monkey on his back."

"His gambling addiction became a monkey on his back that he could not get rid of no matter how hard he tried."

used to refer to a task or activity that is completely pointless and illogical

"Trying to change his mind is like kicking dead whales down the beach."

"Trying to get this project approved by the committee is like kicking dead whales down the beach impossible and exhausting."

to engage in manual work, particularly one that is exhausting or of high difficulty

"The CEO is not afraid to get his hands dirty."

"The CEO is not afraid to get his hands dirty and often works alongside the factory workers on the production line."

a person or thing that is problematic and hard to deal with

"The dog is thorn."

"The constant noise from the construction site next door has become a persistent thorn in my side for weeks."

a collection of problems that are caused by something

"The chill wind of change arrived."

"The company felt the chill wind of recession when sales dropped by forty percent in just three months."

an inescapable problem or responsibility that proves too much for one to bear

"Debt is a burden."

"Taking on the responsibility of caring for his ailing parents became a heavy milestone around his neck."

a problem that becomes more difficult to deal with the more one tries to solve it

"This problem is tricky."

"The complex legal dispute over the inheritance quickly turned into a tar baby, with each attempt to resolve it only creating more complications."

one of several difficulties happening after one another that finally makes it intolerable for someone to continue something

"Your lateness is the straw that breaks the camel's back."

"The third late delivery was the straw that broke the camel back and the customer cancelled the contract."

to be overwhelmed or completely absorbed by a specific thing, experience, or emotion

"Drowning in work now."

"After the death of her husband she was drowned in grief and could not function normally for many months afterwards."

to engage in manual work, particularly one that is exhausting or of high difficulty

"Let's get our hands dirty."

"The volunteers were eager to get their hands dirty with the difficult construction work."

a thing that is the source of a trouble, particularly by making people argue over it

"The prize caused arguments."

"The inheritance became an apple of discord between the two brothers who had always been close friends before."

to do something that gets oneself stuck into a difficulty

"He dug himself a hole."

"He dug himself into a hole by lying to his boss about finishing the project on time."

something that most likely results in great problems

"This is a disaster."

"Leaving a young child alone near a swimming pool is a recipe for disaster that no responsible parent would ever consider."

to provoke problems with something that one does or says

"Don't rock the boat at work."

"He was advised not to rock the boat by questioning the manager's decision."

something that when someone tries to deal with it causes many problems

"It's a can worms."

"Investigating the company's finances opened up a can of worms filled with fraud and corruption."

said when an action has inevitable consequences

"He told everyone the secret — now the fat is in the fire."

"The leaked memo reached the press before the official statement — the fat was well and truly in the fire."

a situation that is very difficult or unpleasant to be in, often because people are really angry or upset over something

"He kicked a nest."

"By publicly criticizing the company's policies, the whistleblower inadvertently stirred up a hornet's nest of employee discontent."

a difficult situation that one cannot change or escape from

"My cross to bear."

"Her chronic illness, though challenging, was a cross to bear that she faced with remarkable resilience and grace."

a situation in which a person is subjected to more trouble instead of a positive outcome

"More trouble than reward."

"His career in politics turned out to be more kicks than halfpence, filled with constant criticism and little reward."

in a situation that is extremely difficult to go through

"She went through it."

"After enduring years of financial hardship and personal setbacks, he felt he had truly been through the mill."

used for stating that a lot of problems and arguments will occur when someone becomes aware of something

"Stuff hit the fan."

"The moment the company's financial irregularities were exposed, the stuff hit the fan, leading to investigations and resignations."

a person or thing that brings one misfortune or unhappiness

"Traffic is my bane."

"For the allergy sufferer, pollen during springtime is the absolute bane of their existence, making outdoor activities miserable."

used to describe a situation that was already bad has suddenly become worse

"Fat hit the fire."

"When the scandal broke and implicated several high-ranking officials, the fat hit the fire, causing widespread public outrage."

to indicate or suggest that a situation or action is likely to lead to problems

"This spells trouble."

"The sudden drop in sales spells trouble for the company's future profitability."

to prevent someone from achieving success by destroying their plans

"You will cook your goose."

"The spy cooked his own goose when he accidentally left secret documents on the train for anyone to find."

to give someone an opportunity to act freely with the intention of hurting them

"Give him rope to hang."

"The manager decided to give the underperforming employee enough rope to hang himself."

to act as though one is not interested in another person's romantic or sexual advances in order to increase their interest or desire

"She is playing hard to get."

"She told her friend to play hard to get so that he would want her even more than before."

to prevent someone from achieving what they want by creating problems for them

"He queered my pitch."

"Her competitor's last-minute offer unfortunately queered her pitch for the contract."

to ruin what someone has planned or not allow them enjoy something

"Don't rain on my parade."

"I was so excited about my promotion, and I didn't want anyone to rain on my parade with negative comments."

to slow down a plan or activity or prevent it from going on

"Threw wrench in works."

"The unexpected budget cuts threw a monkey wrench into the project's timeline."

to do something that makes oneself overly worried or confused

"Tied myself in knots."

"He tied himself into knots trying to remember all the complex instructions."

to cause problems, often by ruining or interrupting something that was planned

"He upset the apple cart today."

"The sudden resignation of our team leader completely upset the apple cart, leaving everyone confused about who would take over the important project."

to complicate a simple situation

"He muddied waters."

"The politician's vague statements only served to muddy the waters of the debate."

to make an attempt to prevent something from continuing or happening

"They put kibosh on plans."

"The city council decided to put the kibosh on the controversial new development."

to do something, particularly something others do not expect, in order to make them feel less confident or important

"The news knocked me."

"The sudden bad news knocked the wind out of me and I had to sit down for a minute."

to create a sense of negativity and hopelessness regarding a particular thing or situation

"It cast a shadow."

"The recent scandal cast a dark shadow over the organization's reputation."

a person or thing that ruins an otherwise positive or enjoyable situation

"The cost is a fly in ointment."

"The beautiful vacation destination was perfect, but the constant noise from construction was a real fly in the ointment."

to lessen or decrease the enjoyment, strength, or activity of something

"It put a damper."

"The bad news about the economy put a damper on everyone's holiday spirits."

to cause something to be less enjoyable as it could be

"It took gilt off."

"Discovering the hidden fees unfortunately took the gilt off the gingerbread of our vacation."

to not easily give a person something that they need or want from one

"She played hard to get."

"He found her elusive nature intriguing, but she was just playing hard to get."

not needing any effort

"It was easy as ABC."

"Learning to ride a bicycle is as easy as anything once you get the hang of balancing and pedaling at the same time."

lacking difficulty and done without putting any efforts

"The test was easy as pie."

"The recipe was as easy as pie, and I managed to bake a delicious chocolate cake without following any complicated steps at all."

to not need any hard work at all

"It's like taking candy from a baby."

"Convincing my little brother to share his toys is like taking candy from a baby because he always gives in without any argument."

very simple without involving any difficulty

"It's simple as kiss your hand."

"Using this new app is as simple as kiss your hand, and even my grandmother figured it out without needing any help from anyone."

not that complicated or hard to understand, achieve, or do

"This is not rocket science, anyone can do it."

"Changing a light bulb is not rocket science so you should be able to do it by yourself without any help."

used for emphasizing how easy or fast something is done

"Just add the sauce at the end and Bob is your uncle — it is ready."

"Connect the two cables, restart the system, and Bob is your uncle — the problem is solved."

to involve no difficulty

"Cooking eggs is child's play."

"After years of professional experience, fixing this small technical issue was like child's play for the senior engineer who had seen much harder problems."

anything that is very easy to achieve or do

"The test was a piece of cake."

"The maths test was a piece of cake because I had studied very hard all week for it."

lacking awareness regarding the potential outcomes of a particular action

"I could do this with my eyes closed."

"I have made this recipe so many times that I could do it with my eyes closed."

a situation that is easy, pleasant, or comfortable

"Marriage is not always a bed of roses."

"Being a parent is not a bed of roses because children require constant attention and care every single day."

to be able to pronounce or articulate a difficult word, phrase, or language correctly, especially for non-native speakers

"I cannot get my tongue around this word."

"Learning to pronounce the French 'r' sound is difficult but she finally got her tongue around it after lots of practice."

to finish doing something as fast as one can

"She made quick work of it."

"The experienced chef made short work of preparing the entire three-course meal in less than thirty minutes before the guests arrived."

without needing to try much

"He did it with eyes closed."

"The experienced pianist played the intricate melody with his eyes closed."

a state or situation that is harmonious or free from problems

"It's sweetness and light."

"Their relationship was a picture of sweetness and light, free from any conflict or disagreements."

with minimum effort or time

"The knife cut the cake like a hot knife through butter."

"The new saw cut through the thick wooden plank like a hot knife through butter with no effort at all."

to need to put a lot of hard work or energy into doing something

"He didn't break a sweat."

"The marathon runner didn't break a sweat during the entire training session because the weather was cool and the route was completely flat."

to progress without facing problems or difficulties

"It was smooth sailing."

"After months of careful planning and preparation, the product launch was smooth sailing, and customers responded positively from the very first day."

(of a learned skill) still easy to do after not practicing for long

"Once you learn to swim, it is like riding a bike."

"Once you learn how to swim it is like riding a bike you never forget the skill completely."

to be really good at something as soon as one starts to do it

"He took to flying like a duck to water."

"The young child took to reading like a duck to water and was reading chapter books by age five."

said to mean that something can be easily done or achieved

"It's no muss, no fuss."

"The online ordering process was so simple and efficient, it was truly no muss, no fuss."

used to refer to a really easy task or undertaking

"That test was a walk in the park."

"The final exam was a walk in the park compared to the difficult midterm tests we had taken earlier in the semester."

the easiest achievable task in a given situation

"Let us focus on the low-hanging fruit first."

"The new manager focused on low-hanging fruit first by fixing the easiest problems before tackling the more difficult challenges facing the department."

said to mean that something is very easy to find out

"No prizes for guessing who ate the last biscuit."

"No prizes for guessing which department went over budget again this quarter."

the fastest or easiest way in which something can be done or dealt with

"He chose the path of least resistance."

"She always takes the line of least resistance when making difficult decisions at work."

to experience no or very few difficulties or disruptions, particularly after a period of hardship

"The business is in smooth water."

"After months of financial struggles, the company is finally in smooth water and growing steadily."

to be achievable or available for someone without much difficulty or time

"The job is yours for the asking."

"The championship title is theirs for the taking if they win this final game tonight."

to receive something unexpectedly and without effort

"A new job just fell into my lap."

"A wonderful job opportunity fell into her lap just when she needed it the most."

in an easy manner and without facing many difficulties

"He could solve this with one arm tied behind his back."

"The experienced programmer could fix that bug with one hand tied behind his back because he had seen it many times before."

in a way that is effortless or easy

"She won hands down."

"With her superior skills and preparation, she won the competition hands down."

a benefit that is obtained at the cost or with the effort of another person

"He got a free ride."

"He enjoyed a free ride through college, thanks to his wealthy benefactor's generosity."

a simple and effective solution to a difficult problem

"There is no silver bullet for this problem."

"There is no silver bullet for this problem and we must try multiple solutions."

the quick and direct path to achieving a goal or completing a project

"He is on the fast track to management."

"He is on the fast track to management and will likely become a director within three years."

to try to solve one's problem by spending money on it

"They keep throwing money at the problem."

"The government keeps throwing money at the healthcare system without addressing the root causes."

to be willing to do whatever necessary to improve one's current situation, regardless of one's chance of success

"Grasping at straws."

"With no other options available, he was forced to grasp at straws to save his business."

to eventually resolve without intervention, typically after a period of time

"Don't worry, it will come out in the wash."

"All these minor problems will eventually come out in the wash if we just remain patient."

to manage to go through a difficulty without many consequences

"We will weather the storm together."

"The small business managed to weather the storm of the economic recession and survived when many others failed."

to succeed in achieving the required result or solving the encountered problem

"A little glue will do the job."

"A simple hammer will do the job of breaking this old wall without needing any expensive tools."

referring to every possible method or strategy to achieve a goal, even if they are deceitful or unethical

"The lawyer used every trick in the book."

"The salesman used every trick in the book to convince us to buy the expensive extended warranty for our new car."

an immediate solution that offers temporary relief or improvement to a problem without addressing the root cause

"The repair was just a quick fix."

"The repair was just a quick fix and the problem returned worse than before."

to eventually resolve without intervention, typically after a period of time

"It will come out in the wash."

"Don't worry too much about the small issues; they will likely come out in the wash."