- Dictionary
USAGE NOTE
This idiom may be literally translated as "to be a hard bone to gnaw at."
ser un hueso duro de roer
An intransitive verb phrase is a phrase that combines a verb with a preposition or other particle and does not require a direct object (e.g., Everybody please stand up.).
1. (colloquial) (idiom) (to be difficult)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
An idiom is a phrase with a meaning different from the literal meaning of the separate words that make it up (e.g., break a leg).
a. to be a hard nut to crack (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Mi jefe se resiste a aumentarme el sueldo. Es un hueso duro de roer.My boss is reluctant to give me a raise. He's a hard nut to crack.
b. to be a tough nut to crack (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
El problema del examen de matemáticas era un hueso duro de roer. No creo que apruebe.That question on the math test was a tough nut to crack. I don't think I'll pass.
Examples
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