a tough row to hoe

a difficult situation to deal with The author said that he knew it would be a tough row to hoe when he began research for this book.

Informal

A difficult situation to endure.

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Enki	EN-kee	Near Eastern Mythology
Araminta	-	English (Rare)
Yannis	-	Greek
Molina	[mə'li:nə]
Amabilia	-	Late Roman
ÉLodie	e-lo-DEE	French