Idiom meaning, usage examples, facts

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U W Y

GIVE (SOMEONE) A HARD TIME

to be difficult with someone; to give someone unnecessary difficulty
...
1. Patricia had not done a good job on the report, and she thought her boss would just ask her to redo it. Instead, gave her a hard time and wouldn’t stop talking about it. He gave her a hard time about the report.
2. The students gave the new teacher a hard time on his first day. They dropped their books, passed notes while he was talking, and were generally uncooperative.


Go Back