tough /ˈtʌf/
 (a.)堅硬的,咬不動的;棘手的,難辦的;強健的,吃苦耐勞的;粗暴的,凶惡的
 Tough a. [Compar. Tougher superl. Toughest.]
 1. Having the quality of flexibility without brittleness; yielding to force without breaking; capable of resisting great strain; as, the ligaments of animals are remarkably tough. “Tough roots and stubs. ”
 2. Not easily broken; able to endure hardship; firm; strong; -- of objects and people; as, tough sinews.
 A body made of brass, the crone demands, . . .
 Tough to the last, and with no toil to tire.   --Dryden.
    The basis of his character was caution combined with tough tenacity of purpose.   --J. A. Symonds.
 3. Not easily separated; viscous; clammy; tenacious; as, tough phlegm.
 4. Stiff; rigid; not flexible; stubborn; as, a tough bow.
    So tough a frame she could not bend.   --Dryden.
 5. Severe; violent; as, a tough storm. [Colloq.] “ A tough debate. ”
 To make it tough, to make it a matter of difficulty; to make it a hard matter. [Obs.]
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 tough
      adj 1: not given to gentleness or sentimentality; "a tough
             character" [ant: tender]
      2: very difficult; severely testing stamina or resolution; "a
         rugged competitive examination"; "the rugged conditions of
         frontier life"; "the competition was tough"; "it's a tough
         life"; "it was a tough job" [syn: rugged]
      3: physically toughened; "the tough bottoms of his feet" [syn:
         toughened] [ant: tender]
      4: substantially made or constructed; "sturdy steel shelves";
         "sturdy canvas"; "a tough all-weather fabric"; "some
         plastics are as tough as metal" [syn: sturdy]
      5: violent and lawless; "the more ruffianly element"; "tough
         street gangs" [syn: ruffianly]
      6: feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough' is occasionally
         used colloquially for `bad'); "my throat feels bad"; "she
         felt bad all over"; "he was feeling tough after a restless
         night" [syn: bad]
      7: tough to cut or chew [ant: tender]
      8: unfortunate or hard to bear; "had hard luck"; "a tough
         break" [syn: hard]
      n 1: someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than
           being formally trained in the sport of boxing [syn: street
           fighter]
      2: an aggressive and violent young criminal [syn: hood, hoodlum,
          goon, punk, thug, toughie, strong-armer]
      3: a cruel and brutal fellow [syn: bully, hooligan, ruffian,
          roughneck, rowdy, yob, yobo, yobbo]