13 ADJ Hard water contains a lot of calcium compounds that stop soap making bubbles and sometimes appear as a deposit in kettles and baths.
14 ADJ [ADJ n] Hard drugs are very strong illegal drugs such as heroin or cocaine.
15 PHRASE If you feel hard done by , you feel that you have not been treated fairly. [BRIT ] □ The hall porter was feeling hard done by at having to extend his shift.
16 PHRASE If you say that something is hard going , you mean it is difficult and requires a lot of effort. □ The talks had been hard going at the start.
17 PHRASE To be hard hit by something means to be affected very severely by it. □ California's been particularly hard hit by the recession.
18 PHRASE If someone plays hard to get , they pretend not to be interested in another person or in what someone is trying to persuade them to do. □ I wanted her and she was playing hard to get.
19 PHRASE If someone is hard put to do something or, in British English if they are hard pushed to do something, they have great difficulty doing it. □ Mr Morton is undoubtedly cleverer than Mr Kirkby, but he will be hard put to match his popularity.
20 PHRASE If you take something hard , you are very upset or depressed by it. □ Maybe I just took it too hard.
ha rd and fa st ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you say that there are no hard and fast rules, or that there is no hard and fast information about something, you are indicating that there are no fixed or definite rules or facts. □ There are no hard and fast rules, but rather traditional guidelines as to who pays for what.
hard|back /hɑː r dbæk/ (hardbacks ) N‑COUNT [oft in N ] A hardback is a book which has a stiff hard cover. Compare paperback . □ His autobiography has sold more than 36,000 copies in hardback. [in AM, use hardback ]
hard|ball /hɑː r dbɔːl/ PHRASE If someone plays hardball , they will do anything that is necessary to achieve or get what they want, even if this involves being harsh or unfair. [mainly AM ] □ She is playing hardball in a world dominated by men 20 years her senior.
ha rd-bi tten ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe someone as hard-bitten , you are critical of them because they do not show much emotion or have much sympathy for other people, usually because they have experienced many unpleasant things. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …a cynical hard-bitten journalist.
hard|board /hɑː r dbɔː r d/ N‑UNCOUNT Hardboard is a material which is made by pressing very small pieces of wood very closely together to form a thin, slightly flexible sheet.
ha rd-boi led also hard boiled
1 ADJ A hard-boiled egg has been boiled in its shell until the whole of the inside is solid.
2 ADJ You use hard-boiled to describe someone who is tough and does not show much emotion. □ She's hard-boiled, tough and funny.
ha rd ca sh N‑UNCOUNT Hard cash is money in the form of notes and coins as opposed to a cheque or a credit card.
ha rd ci |der N‑UNCOUNT Hard cider is an alcoholic drink that is made from apples. [AM ] in BRIT, use cider
ha rd co py (hard copies ) N‑VAR A hard copy of a document is a printed version of it, rather than a version that is stored on a computer. □ …eight pages of hard copy.
ha rd core N‑UNCOUNT Hard core consists of pieces of broken stone that are used as a base on which to build roads. [mainly BRIT ]
ha rd-core also hardcore , hard core
1 N‑SING [N n] You can refer to the members of a group who are the most committed to its activities or who are the most involved in them as a hard core of members or as the hard-core members. □ [+ of ] We've got a hard core of customers that have stood by us. □ [+ of ] A hard-core group of right-wing senators had hoped to sway their colleagues.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Hard-core pornography shows sex in a very detailed way, or shows very violent or unpleasant sex. Compare soft-core .
hard|cover /hɑː r dkʌvə r / (hardcovers ) N‑COUNT [oft in N ] A hardcover is a book which has a stiff hard cover. Compare softcover . [AM ] in BRIT, use hardback
ha rd cu r|ren|cy (hard currencies ) N‑VAR A hard currency is one which is unlikely to lose its value and so is considered to be a good one to have or to invest in. □ The government is running short of hard currency to pay for imports.
ha rd di sk (hard disks ) N‑COUNT A computer's hard disk is a stiff magnetic disk on which data and programs can be stored.
ha rd-dri nking ADJ [ADJ n] If you describe someone as a hard-drinking person, you mean that they frequently drink large quantities of alcohol.
ha rd drive (hard drives ) also hard-drive N‑COUNT A computer's hard drive is its hard disk, or the part that contains the hard disk. □ Downloads are video files you save on a computer's hard drive.
ha rd-e dged ADJ If you describe something such as a style, play, or article as hard-edged , you mean you admire it because it is powerful, critical, or unsentimental. [APPROVAL ] □ …hard-edged drama.
hard|en /hɑː r d ə n/ (hardens , hardening , hardened )
1 VERB When something hardens or when you harden it, it becomes stiff or firm. □ [V ] Mould the mixture into shape while hot, before it hardens. □ [V n] Give the cardboard two or three coats of varnish to harden it.
2 VERB When an attitude or opinion hardens or is hardened , it becomes harsher, stronger, or fixed. □ [V n] Their action can only serve to harden the attitude of landowners. □ [V ] The bitter split which has developed within Solidarity is likely to harden further into separation. ● hard|en|ing N‑SING □ [+ of ] …a hardening of the government's attitude towards rebellious parts of the army.