die hard en · VERB
Meanings
- (idiomatic, intransitive) Of a living being, to die only after a desperate struggle for life.
-
(idiomatic, intransitive) Of a custom, idea, etc. to be slow in changing or disappearing.
Already, however, in this earliest phase, new types cease to be invented; technical skill lingers on and dies hard, but inspiration has gone.
1907, Ronald M. Burrows, The Discoveries In Crete, page 99:Another incentive to Glaswegians to make full use of their new facilities is that road-rail competition has died hard in this area and the prevailing fare levels, even though rail rates were recently increased, are somewhat low by standards elsewhere in Britain—[...].
1960 December, “The Glasgow Suburban Electrification is opened”, in Trains Illustrated, page 715:In Scotland, though, some of the Caledonian products have died hard. They were mostly good straightforward engines.
1954 May, John W. Grant, “A Railway Requiem”, in Railway Magazine, page 349:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| dying hard | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| dies hard | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| died hard | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| died hard | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Deriveds
die-hard · diehard · old habits die hard
Relateds
you can't teach an old dog new tricks
Translations (5)
de nicht tot zu kriegen sein (be slow in changing) · fr avoir la peau dure (be slow in changing) · fr avoir la vie dure (be slow in changing) · is vera lífseigur (be slow in changing) · pl być opornym na zmiany (be slow in changing)