- hard-and-fast
- ,hard-and-`fast adjective1. ) not able to be changed:hard-and-fast rules/regulations2. ) clear and not able to be questioned:hard-and-fast distinctions
Usage of the words and phrases in modern English. 2013.
hard-and-fast
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Hard and fast — Hard Hard (h[aum]rd), a. [Compar. {Harder} ( [ e]r); superl. {Hardest}.] [OE. hard, heard, AS. heard; akin to OS. & D. hard, G. hart, OHG. herti, harti, Icel. har[eth]r, Dan. haard, Sw. h[*a]rd, Goth. hardus, Gr. kraty s strong, ka rtos, kra tos … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
hard-and-fast — UK US (also hard and fast) adjective ► definite and not to be changed, avoided, or ignored: »hard and fast deadlines/plans/guidelines hard and fast evidence/facts/answers »With whale research, hard and fast facts are difficult to come by. »There… … Financial and business terms
Hard and fast — Fast Fast, a. [Compar. {Faster}; superl. {Fastest}.] [OE., firm, strong, not loose, AS. f[ae]st; akin to OS. fast, D. vast, OHG. fasti, festi, G. fest, Icel. fastr, Sw. & Dan. fast, and perh. to E. fetter. The sense swift comes from the idea of… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
hard-and-fast — adj. invariable; firmly established; as, hard and fast regulations. Syn: strict. [WordNet 1.5] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
hard-and-fast — adj [only before noun] clear, definite, and always able to be used ▪ It is impossible to give hard and fast rules , but here are some points to consider … Dictionary of contemporary English
hard-and-fast — hard and fastness, n. /hahrd n fast , fahst /, adj. strongly binding; not to be set aside or violated: hard and fast rules. [1865 70] Syn. fixed, precise, inflexible, inviolable, rigorous, unambiguous. * * * … Universalium
hard and fast — ADJ: usu with brd neg, usu ADJ n If you say that there are no hard and fast rules, or that there is no hard and fast information about something, you are indicating that there are no fixed or definite rules or facts. There are no hard and fast… … English dictionary
hard and fast — Synonyms and related words: absolute, aground, authoritative, binding, canonical, compulsory, conclusive, decisive, decretory, dictated, didactic, entailed, final, formulary, hard and fast, imperative, imposed, instructive, irrevocable, mandated … Moby Thesaurus
hard-and-fast — adjective hard and fast rules/regulations rules that are fixed and that you cannot change … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
hard and fast — UK / US adjective fixed and not able to be changed hard and fast rules/regulations … English dictionary
