when the going gets tough

and if the going gets tough; when the going gets rough; if the going gets rough

as things get extremely difficult; when it becomes difficult to proceed. When the going gets tough, I will be there to help you. If the going gets tough, just give me a call.

when the going gets tough

also when the going gets rough

when a situation becomes difficult or unpleasant I run the farm on my own, but a local boy helps me out when the going gets tough.

Usage notes: sometimes used in the form if the going gets tough and sometimes followed by the tough get going or, for a humorous effect, the tough go shopping: When Anna gets upset, she goes out and buys something - you know, when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Grosvenor	GROV-ə-nər, GROV-nər	English (Rare)
Rosalina	ro-sah-LEE-nah (Spanish)	Portuguese, Spanish
Sabahudin	-	Bosnian
Deonte	-	African American (Modern)
Arbuckle	[a:'bʌkl]
Wyot	-	Medieval English