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hardball
[ hahrd-bawl ]
noun
- baseball, as distinguished from softball.
adjective
- tough or ruthless:
He wasn't ready for the hardball politics of Washington.
- outspoken, challenging, or difficult:
Reporters asked the president some hardball questions.
hardball
/ ˈɑːɔː /
noun
- baseball as distinct from softball
- play hardball informal.to act in a ruthless or uncompromising way
Idioms and Phrases
- play hardball, to act or work aggressively, competitively, or ruthlessly, as in business or politics.
Example Sentences
“I’m not going to say, ‘oh, I’m going to play hardball with China,’” Trump said Tuesday.
But for the best outcome, he says, India will have to "play hardball. Basically, tell the US - we're open to negotiations on other fronts, but don't destabilise our agriculture".
The hardball question came after the Atlanta Fed predicted a contraction of the American economy in the first quarter of 2025.
They also played hardball in Iowa, undermining the state's nonpartisan commission and allowing the GOP to push one additional seat largely into their column.
Kellogg laid out the hardball aspect of the plan to Reuters, using U.S. aid as a tool to bring both sides to the negotiating table.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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