work cut out for one, to have one's
have one's work cut out for (one)
Fig. to have a large and difficult task prepared for one. They sure have their work cut out for them, and it's going to be hard. There is a lot for Bob to do. He has his work cut out for him.
See also: cut, have, out, work
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
have one's work cut out for one
Face a difficult task, as in This is a very large house to manage, so I have my work cut out for me. This expression alludes to cloth cut out to make a garment. [c. 1600]
See also: cut, have, one, out, work
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
work cut out for one, to have one's
To have trouble completing a task; to face a difficult job. This term, which alludes to a pattern cut from cloth that must then be made into a garment, has been used since about 1600. Anthony Trollope used it in Orley Farm (1862): “Everyone knew that his work was cut out for him.”
See also: cut, have, out, work
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- give (one) the fig
- cramp someone's style, to
- go to one's head, to
- burn the candle at both ends, to (you can't)
- cut off at the pass, to
- fall for something/someone, to
- avoid like the plague, to
- break one's neck, to
- leaves
- set one's teeth on edge, to