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play hardball
mainly US informalDefinition
(Definition of play hardball from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
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You are looking at an entry to do with Trying and making an effort, but you might be interested in these topics from the Doing and achieving topic area:
- Abstaining and refraining
- Acting and acts
- Avoiding action
- Becoming better
- Cancelling and interrupting
- Competing and contending (non-sporting)
- Coping and not coping
- Delaying and wasting time
- Describing the leading position
- Efficient and effective
- Expressions telling people to hurry up
- Failing and doing badly
- Failures
- Getting involved for one's own benefit or against others' will
- Hesitating
- Higher and lower points of achievement
- Hurrying and doing things quickly
- Making progress and advancing
- Making things better
- Performing a function
- Potential
- Reacting and responding
- Repeating an action
- Succeeding, achieving and fulfilling
- Success and achievements
- Successful (things or people)
- Surpassing in quality or number
- Taking part and getting involved
- Unsuccessful (people and things)
- Waiting
- Ways of achieving things
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SMART Thesaurus: Trying and making an effort
Synonyms and related words:
- a blitz on sth idiom
- all-out adjective
- assault noun
- attempt noun
- attempt verb
- bash noun (ATTEMPT)
- foray noun (ATTEMPT)
- get off your backside idiom
- get your act together idiom
- get your head down idiom
- give it a whirl idiom
- give sth your best shot idiom
- go for sth phrasal verb (TRY)
- pursuit noun (ATTEMPT)
- push your luck idiom
- put your back into sth idiom
- put your best foot forward idiom
- put your heart and soul into sth idiom
- stick to sth phrasal verb
- summon verb (PRODUCE STRENGTH)
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