When the going gets tough, the tough get going is a common English saying or slogan. However, ‘when the going gets tough (or rough) is itself an idiom that can be used alone.
Meaning of Idiom ‘When the Going Gets Tough’
When the going gets tough (or rough) means when a situation becomes difficult or unpleasant; when it becomes much harder to continue or to make any progress.
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Examples Of Use
“It’s been hard to keep this business afloat. When the going gets tough, I dip into my savings.”
“Sure, you’re happy now but what are you going to do when the going gets rough?”
“The going was tough but we eventually made it home.”
Additional Idiom Notes
There is also a reverse version of this idiom, when the going is good, which means ‘when things are easy or while an opportunity lasts.’
When the going gets tough, the tough get going is used to emphasize that when things become difficult, strong people take action or when there are problems, strong people work the hardest to solve them.
Sometimes, a humorous version is used, “when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.”
“During 911, the New York emergency responders faced an unprecedented disaster, but when the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
“He was in fourth place after the third event but when the going gets tough, the tough get going. He quickly rallied to overtake the leader.”
Origin
Both when the going gets tough and when the going gets rough have been used since the early part of the 1900s, although it is unclear which variation occurred first.
Tough or rough in this idiom means involving great difficulty or hardship; something requiring great determination or effort to overcome. The second tough in the saying “when the going gets tough, the tough get going” means strong, capable, resolute, bold, courageous, etc.
A tough person is able to persevere in difficult times. This saying appears to have been in use since at least the 1950s.
More Idioms Starting with G
- Get Out of My Hair
- Go Over the Same Old Ground
- Get With It
- Get With the Program
- Going to (Will) Murder (Kill) Someone
More Get Idioms
More Going Idioms
More Tough Idioms
More When Idioms
- When Push Comes to Shove
- When the Cat’s Away, the Mice Will Play
- When it Comes to Something
- When the Chips are Down