tough nut to crack

Variant of nut

nut definition

nut (nut)

noun

  1. the dry, one-seeded fruit of any of various trees or shrubs, consisting of a kernel, often edible, in a hard and woody or tough and leathery shell, more or less separable from the seed itself, as the walnut, pecan, chestnut, acorn, etc.
  2. the kernel, or meat, of such a fruit
  3. loosely any hard-shell fruit that will keep more or less indefinitely, as a peanut, almond, etc.
  4. a small block, usually of metal, with a threaded hole through the center, for screwing onto a bolt, screw, etc.
    1. a ridge of ebony or other hard material at the top of the fingerboard of a stringed instrument, over which the strings pass
    2. the small knob at the end of a violin bow, for tightening or loosening the hairs
  5. Informal the initial cost of an undertaking, or the amount of money it is necessary to take in before a profit is realized on it
  6. Slang
    1. the head
    2. the testicles: a vulgar usage
  7. Slang
    1. a foolish, crazy, or eccentric person
    2. a devotee; fan
  8. Printing en (sense )

Etymology: ME nutte < OE hnutu, akin to Ger nuss < IE *kneu-, lump, nut (< base *ken-, to squeeze together) > L nux, MIr cnū

intransitive verb nutted nut′·ted, nutting nut′·ting

to hunt for or gather nuts
nut Idioms

hard nut to crack

or tough nut to crack
a person, problem, or thing difficult to understand or deal with

off one's nut

Slang foolish, silly, or crazy

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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