of steel

of steel

Used to describe something exceptionally tough, resilient, or coldly unyielding. My mother had nerves of steel, and she never backed down from danger. He had a look of steel that would intimidate even the toughest negotiators.
See also: of, steel
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

of ˈsteel

having a quality like steel, especially a strong, cold or hard quality: She felt a hand of steel (= a strong, firm hand) on her arm. There was a hint of steel in his voice (= he sounded cold and firm).
See also: of, steel
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • reinforce
  • reinforce (something) with (something)
  • reinforce with
  • a whale of a
  • take a stand
  • labor under the delusion of/that
  • labor under the illusion of/that
  • party bowl
  • get the freeze
  • be (as) tough as nails
References in classic literature
First you wrap a layer or two of blanket around your body, for a sort of cushion and to keep off the cold iron; then you put on your sleeves and shirt of chain mail -- these are made of small steel links woven together, and they form a fabric so flexible that if you toss your shirt onto the floor, it slumps into a pile like a peck of wet fish-net; it is very heavy and is nearly the uncomfortablest material in the world for a night shirt, yet plenty used it for that -- tax collectors, and reformers, and one-horse kings with a defective title, and those sorts of people; then you put on your shoes -- flat-boats roofed over with interleaving bands of steel -- and screw your clumsy spurs into the heels.
A gallant sight was Robin so arrayed, I wot, the glint of steel showing here and there as the sunlight caught brightly the links of polished mail that showed beneath his green coat.
It was a man's face she saw, a face of steel, tense and immobile; a mouth of steel, the lips like the jaws of a trap; eyes of steel, dilated, intent, and the light in them and the glitter were the light and glitter of steel.
For defence each man wore a coat of interlaced leathern thongs, strengthened at the shoulder, elbow, and upper arm with slips of steel. Greaves and knee-pieces were also of leather backed by steel, and their gauntlets and shoes were of iron plates, craftily jointed, So, with jingle of arms and clatter of hoofs, they rode across the Bridge of Avon, while the burghers shouted lustily for the flag of the five roses and its gallant guard.
Where Jurgis worked there was a machine which cut and stamped a certain piece of steel about two square inches in size; the pieces came tumbling out upon a tray, and all that human hands had to do was to pile them in regular rows, and change the trays at intervals.
He heard the Highland battle-cry and the clash of steel on steel, for fighting came near his home, and his own people joined the standard of the Pretender.
"Yonder Woodpecker has a bill of steel, and he can use it well," said the councillor to him who stood by him.
Steel Dynamics operates three steelmaking mini-mills that produce a wide range of steel products, including flat-rolled products, such as hot-rolled, cold-rolled and coated steels; wide-flange beams and H-piling; rail; and special-bar-quality round bars.
What's happening is that there is a comparatively new class of steel, ultra high strength steel, or advanced high strength steel (AHSS), materials with yield strengths in excess of 550 MPa.
Inventory adjustments may have had their desired effect in terms of steel and ferrous scrap pricing.
Current areas of interest include combined heat treatment and stress/strain analyses to examine quench cracking problems and stress relief during tempering, lost foam casting of steel and the pouring of thin-walled steel castings.
In addition to being easy to recycle, the long shelf life and practically tamper-proof quality of steel cans are among the advantages mentioned by Gerri Walsh, manager of recycling at can manufacturer and CFA member Ball Corp., Broomfield, Colo.
So the Automotive Applications Committee of American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) initiated the UltraLight Steel Auto Body (ULSAB) program, which was joined by a number of steel companies from other countries.
Harrison Steel, a foundry in west central Indiana that manufactures parts for off-road mining and earth moving equipment, has conducted many trials aimed at improving the quality of steel castings, and John D.
In the week ending May 28, domestic mills produced slightly less than 2 million tons of steel, dropping nearly 5 percent below the previous week's production level.