hard nut to crack

(a) hard nut to crack

and (a) tough nut to crack

Fig. difficult person or problem to deal with. This problem is getting me down. It's a hard nut to crack. Tom sure is a hard nut to crack. I can't figure him out.

hard nut to crack

Also, tough nut to crack. A difficult problem; also, an individual who is difficult to deal with. For example, This assignment is a hard nut to crack, or It won't be easy getting her approval; she's a tough nut to crack. This metaphoric expression alludes to hard-shelled nuts like walnuts. [Early 1700s]

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Meryem	-	Turkish, Uyghur
Katsiaryna	-	Belarusian
Darren	DER-ən, DAR-ən	English
Afonso	a-FAWN-saw (Galician)	Portuguese, Galician
Thekla	-	German (Rare), Greek (Rare), Late Greek
Viveka	-	Swedish