New Member. The term tough cookie has been used in the way I described it but I’ve also heard it used to describe someone who doesn’t complain and is a survivor in the face of adversity, as in “The chemotherapy was really rough, but she is one tough cookie”. In that case, it’s a major compliment.
When a guy says you are a tough cookie?
If you say that someone is a tough cookie, you mean that they have a strong and determined character.
What does a tough cookie to crack mean?
a problem that is very difficult to solve or a person who is very difficult to understand.
Where did the phrase tough cookie come from?
The word itself is derived from the Dutch ‘koekje’, or ‘little cake’, and probably entered American English with Dutch settlers. Still no connection to being tough, unless those original Dutch settlers over-baked their koekjes.
Is tough cookie an idiom?
A strong, determined person who is not easily intimidated, discouraged, or defeated. Our principal was a little lady, but she was one tough cookie! She had a difficult childhood, but she’s a tough cookie.
What does Tough luck mean in text?
informal. —used in speech to show sympathy for someone who has failed or has been disappointed You lost your job? Oh, tough luck. —often used in an ironic way to show that one does not feel sympathy for someone “I need more time to finish the job.” “Tough luck.
What is the opposite of a tough cookie?
▲ Opposite of someone who has achieved their goals despite hardship and difficulty. failer. failure. forfeiter.
What does tough nut mean?
: a person or thing that is difficult to deal with, understand, or influence The team’s defense is a tough nut to crack.
What does cookie mean in slang?
Informal. dear; sweetheart (a term of address, usually connoting affection). Slang. a person, usually of a specified character or type: a smart cookie; a tough cookie.
What is the meaning of the idiom egghead?
informal + often disparaging. : a person with intellectual interests or pretensions : a brainy person If you loved to read, you were considered an egghead, and there was absolutely nothing worse than to be considered an egghead.—
Which means almost the same as tough?
strict, firm, hard, merciless, resolute, severe, stern, unbending. difficult, arduous, exacting, hard, laborious, strenuous, troublesome, uphill. (informal) unlucky, lamentable, regrettable, unfortunate.
What are tough noogies?
“Tough noogies” cases, in our view, are ones in which individuals wronged by powerful institutional interests — such as corporations or the government — are shown the door, often based on poor or weak reasoning or in defiance of common sense.
How do you make cookies harder?
How To Be a Tough Cookie
- 1) Learn how to say NO.
- 2) Walk the Walk.
- 3) Challenge Yourself.
- 4) Don’t always live life on the safe side.
- 5) Tell EVERYONE like it is.
- 6) Don’t Take No for an answer.
- 7) Dream Big.
- 8) Treat Yo’self.
What is the opposite of cookie?
The word cookie typically refers to a biscuit. There are no categorical antonyms for this word. However, one could loosely use unrelated food items as antonyms, e.g., beef, eggs, milk, etc.
Is saying tough luck rude?
“tough luck!” is a rather rude expression meaning that the person being addressed gets absolutely no sympathy from the speaker.
How do you use tough luck in a sentence?
That is tough luck on him. That is just tough luck. Among all your many friends, it was my tough luck to say the final farewell in their name. Their chances for the school’s first baseball national championship ended in tough luck as they dropped two of three games.
What is the tough luck skull?
It is earned when the player finds the Tough Luck skull. … Behind it are smaller dark-blue skulls. Effect: Enemies will become extremely difficult to shoot at, and will dodge grenades and vehicles with greater success. The Tough Luck skull can be found on Tsavo Highway on Normal or higher difficulty.
Why do we say smart cookie?
The Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms says that a smart cookie is “someone who is clever and good at dealing with difficult situations.” It’s a phrase that was first used in 1948, though I couldn’t find information on how it was used.
How did the term smart cookie come about?
‘Tough’ and ‘hard-boiled’ COOKIE appeared before 1920. SMART COOKIE meaning a “bright, intelligent, shrewd, opportunistic person, a sagacious judge of things, purportedly first appeared (according to Cassell’s) in the 1920s (earliest quotes I found were from the 1940s).
Where did the saying top banana come from?
The phrase originated in the burlesque theater, from a very popular comedy skit in which the leading comedian was given a banana after delivering the punch line. The act and joke were so widely known that the term was coined to refer to the headliner, the person in the top position.
What does the idiom the big cheese mean?
The big cheese is the person who holds the most power in any situation. If you overhear someone at work describe you as “the big cheese,” it means that he thinks of you as the most important person in the office. You might also call someone important the head honcho or the top dog.