tough/hard/long row to hoe, a
tough row to hoe
and hard row to hoeFig. a difficult task to carry out; a heavy set of burdens. It's a tough row to hoe, but hoe it you will. This is not an easy task. This is a hard row to hoe.
See also: hoe, row, tough
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
tough row to hoe
Also, hard row to hoe. A difficult course, hard work to accomplish, as in He knew he'd have a tough row to hoe by running against this popular incumbent. [First half of 1800s]
See also: hoe, row, tough
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
tough row to hoe
n. a difficult task to carry out; a heavy set of burdens. This is not an easy task. This is a tough row to hoe.
See also: hoe, row, tough
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
tough/hard/long row to hoe, a
A difficult course to follow; hard work to accomplish. This metaphor comes from nineteenth-century America, when most people lived in rural areas and cultivated at least some land. David Crockett used it in his Tour to the North and Down East (1835): “I never opposed Andrew Jackson for the sake of popularity. I knew it was a hard row to hoe; but I stood up to the rack.”
See also: hard, long, row, tough
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- an uphill task
- cooperate
- cooperate on (something)
- in a row
- row
- hoe (one's) own row
- hoe own row
- come to the task with (something)
- days, weeks, etc. on end
- tough