Hard-nosed

Feifei
Hello, welcome to The English We Speak, with me, Feifei.

Rob
And me, Rob. Now Feifei, would you call yourself hard-nosed?

Feifei
Oh here we go again - you’re trying to insult me. Can we leave my nose out of the conversation please?

Rob
I was starting to compliment you.

Feifei
Go on… why is having a hard nose a compliment?

Rob
Not having a hard nose but being hard-nosed describes someone who is practical…

Feifei
OK.

Rob
…someone who is determined and tough-minded. That’s you, isn’t it?

Feifei
Hmmm maybe. Well, yes I suppose that could describe me.

Rob
I thought so. Let’s hear some more examples of this word ‘hard-nosed’….

Examples
She’s a hard-nosed reporter - she got the scoop that none of the other TV channels managed to get.

When my son was ill I asked my boss for time off but he’s so hard-nosed he said ‘no’!

Our company is in financial trouble, we need a hard-nosed business person to come in and save us from closing.

Feifei
This is The English We Speak from BBC Learning English and we’re learning about the word ‘hard-nosed’, which describes someone who is practical, determined and tough-minded. But hold on, Rob…

Rob
Yes?

Feifei
I’ve been researching this word and understand that being hard-nosed also describes someone who is stubborn, unforgiving and insensitive! Erm, Rob, can we talk about this please?

Rob
I was trying to be nice!

Feifei
I don’t care. I will not forgive you.

Rob
What about if I called you soft-nosed?

Feifei
No. From now on I’m only going to present with Neil. Now, I’ve got a pile of work to do so I’m off to write some scripts.

Rob
There you go - hard-nosed - practical, determined, stubborn and unforgiving.

Feifei
Goodbye!

Rob
What did I say?