Daily Almanac for
Dec 8, 2009
Search White Pages
Search: Infoplease Info search tips
Search: Biographies Bio search tips

Hard Lines

Hard terms; “rather rough treatment;” exacting. Lines mean lot or allotment (measured out by a line measure), as, “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage,” i.e. my allotment is excellent. Hard lines = an unfavourable allotment (or task).

“That was hard lines upon me, after I had given up everything.”

G. Eliot.

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

More on Hard Lines from Infoplease:

    • Cite
    • Print
    • Bookmark

Related Content