Meaning of Idiom ‘Hang Tough’
To hang tough means to refuse to change one’s position or actions on something; to remain inflexible or maintain one’s resolve. 1Heacock, Paul. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010.,2Spears, Richard A. McGraw-Hill’s American Idioms Dictionary. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2008.,3Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
Examples Of Use
“He tried to hang tough on the lawsuit, but in the end, he was forced to settle it out of court.”
“Despite all the evidence of the affair, the senator is hanging tough and refusing to admit it occurred.”
“We are going to hang tough on this,” said the committee’s spokesperson. “We will not fund the new park unless more money is allocated to infrastructure.”
“Hang tough, boys,” yelled the sergeant. “We’ve got air support on the way!”
Origin
Used since the first half of the 1900’s. 4Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
Tough is used in the sense of being fiercely uncompromising or being able to stand up for oneself without being intimidated.
Hang is used in the sense of maintaining or continuing to hold a position, attitude, etc.
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Sources
| 1. | ↲ | Heacock, Paul. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010. |
| 2. | ↲ | Spears, Richard A. McGraw-Hill’s American Idioms Dictionary. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2008. |
| 3, 4. | ↲ | Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. |