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Idioms for Difficult Task: Learning English idioms is one of the best strategies to enhance your English-speaking abilities. Idiomatic language is an essential component of learning English since it will improve your capacity for comprehension and interaction with proficient English speakers. The following list of 10 idioms for difficult tasks including their definitions and usage examples are mentioned below. Let’s explore!
This Blog Includes:
- An Uphill Battle
- Biting off More than you can Chew
- Between a Rock and a Hard Place
- A Tough Nut to Crack
- Walking on Thin Ice
- In Hot Water
- Climb a Steep Hill
- Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire:
- Up a Creek Without a Paddle
- Like Pulling Teeth
- Tough Row to Hoe
- Tall Order
- Slippery Slope
- Easier Said Than Done
- It’s a Long Shot
- Close Call
- Hard Sell
- Idiom Exercises PDF
- FAQs
An Uphill Battle
Meaning: A difficult and challenging task or situation that requires great effort to overcome.
Example: “Starting a new business during a recession is definitely an uphill battle, but with determination and hard work, success is possible.”
Biting off More than you can Chew
Meaning: To take on more responsibilities or tasks than one can handle.
Example: “I thought I could manage a full-time job, night classes, and a part-time internship, but I’ve clearly bitten off more than I can chew.“
Also Read: 150 Common: Difficult Idioms with Example
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Meaning: Stuck in a situation where you have to choose between two equally difficult options.
Example: “I’m between a rock and a hard place – if I lend my friend the money, I won’t be able to pay my bills, but if I don’t, our friendship might suffer.
A Tough Nut to Crack
Meaning: A difficult problem or person that is challenging to understand or solve.
Example: “The math puzzle in the competition was a tough nut to crack, but eventually, I figured it out.”
Also Read: Idioms for Beginners
Walking on Thin Ice
Meaning: Engaging in a risky or delicate situation that could easily lead to trouble or failure.
Example: “Confronting the boss about our team’s concerns is like walking on thin ice – we need to be careful with our words.”
In Hot Water
Meaning: In trouble or facing difficulties due to one’s actions or decisions.
Example: “After missing the deadline, I found myself in hot water with my supervisor.”
Climb a Steep Hill
Meaning: Undertake a challenging task that requires a lot of effort and determination.
Example: “Learning a new language is like climbing a steep hill, but the rewards are worth it.”
Also Read: Idioms for Teachers
Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire:
Meaning: Escaping one difficult situation only to enter another that is equally or even more challenging.
Example: “She thought leaving her stressful job would solve her problems, but now she’s in a new one that’s just as demanding – it’s like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.”
Up a Creek Without a Paddle
Meaning: Being in a difficult or helpless situation with no easy way out.
Example: “I lost my phone and wallet on the way to the airport, so now I’m up a creek without a paddle.”
Also Read: Idioms for Delicious Food
Like Pulling Teeth
Meaning: Refers to a task or situation that is extremely difficult, frustrating, or time-consuming.
Example: “Getting my younger brother to do his homework is like pulling teeth – he just doesn’t want to cooperate.”
Tough Row to Hoe
Meaning: This expression means that the task ahead is going to be difficult.
Example: Starting a new business is a tough row to hoe however, with hard work and determination anything can be done.
Tall Order
Meaning: This means that the task at hand will be difficult to accomplish.
Example: It’s a tall order to expect the team to finish the project in one month.
Slippery Slope
Meaning: Used to describe a situation where one small event leads to another action or event.
Example: If we allow our children to watch television for one hour a day, it would be a slippery slope as they then start begging for more.
Easier Said Than Done
Meaning: It means that a particular task is not as easy as it appears to be.
Example: Losing weight is easier said than done as many people lack commitment.
It’s a Long Shot
Meaning: It means that the chances of something happening are very slim.
Example: I know it’s a long shot, but I’m going to try to get tickets to the sold-out concert.
Close Call
Meaning: An event or a situation in which a person narrowly escapes injury or death.
Example: I almost missed my train, it was a close call.
Hard Sell
Meaning: To describe a situation where someone is trying to sell something aggressively.
Example: The investment advisor was giving us a hard sell, trying to get us to invest in a high-rise stock.
Apart from idioms for difficult tasks, here are some more idioms for you to learn in English
Idiom Exercises PDF
To test your knowledge of idioms, we have compiled a few exercises which will help you.
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FAQs
Here are a few popular idioms that describe challenging tasks:
A tall order: A task that is difficult to accomplish.
A tough nut to crack: A problem or task that is difficult to solve or complete.
An uphill battle: A difficult struggle or task.
A Herculean task: A task that requires great strength and effort.
A Sisyphean task: A task that is endless and futile.
Here are a few tips:
Read widely: Read books, newspapers, and magazines to expose yourself to a variety of language.
Watch movies and TV shows: Pay attention to the language used by characters.
Use a dictionary or thesaurus: Look up the meanings of unfamiliar words and phrases.
Practice using idioms in your own writing and speech.
Here are a few idioms for a tough task:
A tall order: This means a task is difficult to fulfil.
A tough nut to crack: This refers to a problem or task that is difficult to solve or complete.
An uphill battle: This idiom suggests that a task will be difficult and require a lot of effort.
A Herculean task: This implies a task that requires immense strength and effort.
A Sisyphean task: This refers to a task that is endless and futile.
Here are a few idioms for the hardest thing:
A Herculean task: This implies a task that requires immense strength and effort.
A Sisyphean task: This refers to a task that is endless and futile.
A tough nut to crack: This describes a problem or task that is difficult to solve or complete.
An uphill battle: This suggests a task that will be difficult and require a lot of effort.
This was all about the idioms for difficult task in the English language. To read more about idioms you can check our page at Leverage Edu.
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