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 — adjective 1. ) not able to be changed: hard and fast rules/regulations 2. ) clear and not able to be questioned: hard and fast distinctions … Usage of the words and phrases in modern 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 — hard′ and fast′ adj. strongly binding; not to be set aside or violated: hard and fast rules[/ex] • Etymology: 1865–70 hard′ and fast′ness, n … From formal English to slang
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 — ► hard and fast (of a rule or distinction) fixed and definitive. Main Entry: ↑hard … English terms dictionary
hard-and-fast — adjective (of rules) stringently enforced hard and fast rules • Syn: ↑strict • Similar to: ↑invariable • Derivationally related forms: ↑strictness (for: ↑ … Useful english dictionary
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
