a hard bargain

a hard bargain

A tough negotiation that ultimately concludes in one's favor. Often used in the phrase "drive a hard bargain." Sal is known to drive a hard bargain, so I doubt you'll get that car for the price you want.
See also: bargain, hard
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

hard bargain

see under drive a hard bargain.
See also: bargain, hard
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • hard bargain
  • drive a hard bargain
  • drive a hard bargain, to
  • keep (up) (one's) end of the bargain
  • keep (up) (one's) side of the bargain
  • drive down
  • drive over
  • drive a price up
  • drive a/the/(something's) price up
  • hold (up) (one's) end of the bargain
References in periodicals archive
These policies can effectively take the bat out of a school board's hand, sometimes imposing mandatory settlement terms on even those boards willing to drive a hard bargain. There is surprisingly little systematic research on the outcomes of the arbitration process.
Strike phobia: school boards need to drive a harder bargain