hard-nosed

[hahrd-nohzd] /ˈhɑrdˌnoʊzd/
adjective, Informal.
1.
hardheaded or tough; unsentimentally practical:
a hard-nosed labor leader.
Also, hardnosed.
Origin
1885-90
Synonyms
realistic, down-to-earth; intractable, rigid, stubborn, inflexible.
British Dictionary definitions for hard-nosed

hard-nosed

adjective
1.
(informal) tough, shrewd, and practical
Word Origin and History for hard-nosed
adj.

"stubborn," 1927, from hard + nose (n.). Earlier of bullets or shells with hard tips, and of dogs that had difficulty following a scent. Not in common use before 1950s, when it begins to be used of tough or relentless characters generally (Damon Runyon characters, U.S. Marines, Princeton professors, etc.). Soft-nosed seems to have been used only of bullets.

Slang definitions & phrases for hard-nosed

hard-nosed

adjective
  1. Stubborn; obstinate (mid-1920s+)
  2. Severe and practical; harshly realistic; hard-headed, tough: They'll take a hard-nosed look, then report (1940s+)