German Expression · Intermediate
harte Nuss
tough nut to crack, hard nut to crack
Pronunciation: /ˈhaʁtə nʊs/
Meaning
tough nut to crack, hard nut to crack
Example
Nun steht im November die härteste Nuss an: Das Tauziehen um einen Pfad zum Kohleausstieg. Denn bisher sind weder ein Enddatum für die Kohle noch die Höhe der Staatshilfen klar.
Now the toughest nut to crack is coming up in November: The tug-of-war over a path to the coal phase-out. So far, neither an end date for coal nor the amount of state aid is clear.
Practice tips
- Practice harte Nuss out loud — read the pronunciation guide above and repeat.
- Use it in your own sentence today; reuse beats rereading.
- Pay attention to context: this German expression is for intermediate-level learners.