Hard As Nails Trivia Quiz

Answer: hard-boiled

In its literal meaning (first documented in the late 16th century), hard-boiled refers to a method of cooking eggs in boiling water until both the white and the yolk have solidified. The introduction of the figurative use of this adjective - in the meaning of "emotionally hardened" - is credited to Mark Twain in 1886. This term is often employed to refer to a subgenre of crime and detective fiction featuring a cynical, world-weary protagonist - such as Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, or Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade - with a realistic attitude towards the use of violence in their fight against crime. The opposite, soft-boiled, is synonymous with softhearted or sentimental.

An adjective with a similar meaning is hard-bitten, which implies being hardened by difficult, unpleasant experiences.

Answer: hardcore

When it first appeared in British English in 1841, the noun hard core denoted pieces of broken stone or other hard material used as a base for building roads or foundations. In the early 20th century, it came to be used figuratively to describe a central part or element. By the 1930s, hard-core became commonly used as an adjective, meaning confirmed or die-hard - as in "a hardcore supporter".

In the 1960, the word became synonymous with pornography containing explicit descriptions of sex acts (as opposed to the much less graphic softcore). In the late 1970s hardcore also came to describe a genre of rock music similar to punk, but faster, louder, and more aggressive.

Answer: hard copy

Like snail mail or acoustic guitar, hard copy can be considered a retronym - a new name given to an existing thing to differentiate it from its more recent counterpart. These days, the term copy almost always refers to the digital version of text or graphics rather than one printed on paper. However, hard copy was first used in the 1950s in the book and newspaper printing industry to refer to a manuscript or typewritten document that was ready to be typeset or read on air. According to the "Merriam-Webster Dictionary", before the digital revolution, it was also used to denote printouts of microfilm.

In the US Federal Standard 1037C (Glossary of Telecommunication Terms), hard copy is defined as a permanent reproduction - in the form of a physical object - of displayed data. A file transmitted as an email attachment or viewed on a computer screen is often referred to as soft copy.

Answer: hard-knock

First used in the 1960s, the adjective hard-knock is derived from the older noun phrase hard knocks - most often found in the idiomatic expression "school of hard knocks", a vivid description of learning about life through real, often painful experiences. In fact, hard-knock usually appears in the expression "hard-knock life", denoting an existence marked by challenges and rough treatment.

Many people have become familiar with this word through the song "It's a Hard-knock Life" from the popular musical "Annie" (1977). Sung by the protagonist and her fellow orphan girls, the song describes the bleakness of their life at the orphanage, where they are mistreated by its keeper, Miss Hannigan.

Answer: hardline

Frequently found in texts dealing with politics and current affairs, hardline describes a strict, unbending attitude not subject to compromise. Although first attested in 1903, its use became more widespread during the Cold War era, from the 1950s onwards, to describe the Soviet Union's increasingly rigid policies.

The noun hardliner also dates from that troubled historical period. A person with a hardline stance is often referred to as a hawk, and their attitude as hawkish.

Answer: hard shoulder

Hard shoulder is the term used in British English to describe what in American English is simply called shoulder or breakdown lane - that is, the outside edge of a road that is not used for traveling, but for stopping in case of an emergency.

In the past, especially on country roads, the shoulder was covered with packed earth or gravel (or even grass) rather than being paved with asphalt and concrete. When paving became more common, the term hard shoulder came into use. Now these older, unpaved lanes are occasionally referred to as soft shoulders.

Answer: hard-nosed

The adjective hard-nosed can be used to denote a stubborn, uncompromising personality (like the anatomically related hard-headed), or a shrewd, practical one (similar to hard-boiled). Dictionary sources differ on the date of the first use of this word: according to the "Merriam-Webster Dictionary", it was first attested in 1917 to mean tough or stubborn, while the "Collins" reports an earlier date (late 1880s), and the "OED" an even earlier one (1815).

Originally, hard-nosed was applied to hard-tipped bullets (as opposed to soft-nosed, or expanding, ones) - or, according to some sources, to dogs with a poor sense of smell.

Answer: hardwired

Hardwired has its origins in computing, denoting a part of computer hardware with permanently connected circuits. First used in the 1960s, in the following decade the adjective came to be used in reference to human or animal patterns of behaviour that are genetically or innately predisposed.

What both the literal and the figurative uses of hardwired have in common is that they refer to something that cannot be altered. In the case of humans, a hardwired belief, behaviour or ability is innate rather than learned: for example, it is often stated that humans are hardwired to be social.

Answer: hardball

Mainly occurring as part of the phrase "play hardball", the noun hardball is used especially in a political or business context to denote highly competitive, often morally questionable tactics employed to achieve a goal. This particular use of the term dates from the 1970s.

First introduced in the mid-19th century, hardball originally referred to the game of baseball, as distinct from softball. The "Collins Dictionary" also reports the use of hardball as an adjective meaning ruthless - as in "hardball politics" - or challenging - as in "hardball questions".

Answer: hard-and-fast

As this adjective's components clearly suggest (fast meaning fixed rather than the opposite of slow), hard-and-fast refers to something that is strongly binding and not easily evaded or set aside. Not surprisingly, it is mostly followed by rule (either singular or plural) or synonyms thereof. The word was first used in English in the mid-19th century as a nautical term for a ship that was out of water, and therefore could not move.

When not hyphenated, hard and fast is generally used as an adverb in a literal meaning - as in "drink hard and fast".