   Hard Row to HoeIn Southern and Appalachian speech, "a hard row to hoe" means a difficult task or burden. The saying comes straight from farm life, where hoeing a row of crops is backbreaking work, especially in rocky soil or summer heat. #SouthernSayings #Appalachia #Southern #FarmTalk #Work&Chores Hillbilly Dude Says...  I've heard and used 'that's a hard row to hoe' all my life. So it's common, but not necessarily everday-type. Pronunciation[HARD roh tuh HOE] Meaning & Usage- A difficult task or challenge (noun phrase, figurative)
Mae:
Think he’ll get through it?
Earl:
Maybe, but it’s a hard row to hoe.★ This saying is sometimes misheard as "hard road to hoe," but the farming image - hoeing a row of crops - is the true root. ★ OriginThe phrase comes directly from agriculture, where hoeing rows of crops was hard, tedious labor. Farmers carried it into everyday talk as a metaphor for any tough task. It has appeared in American English since at least the 1800s, but it stayed strongest in Southern and Appalachian speech. Say It Like a SouthernerSaid plain: "hard row tuh hoe." Quick and clipped, often drawled together: "hard row t’hoe." | About We are a growing field guide to culture, speech, memory, and meaning - rooted in Appalachia, but wide as the world. Read more... |
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