Hard yards

Posted by James Briggs on October 18, 2001

In Reply to: Hard yards posted by BrianS on October 18, 2001

: A phrse which has been given currency by Australia's present prime minister and also by the treasurer - probably one picked up from the other - "to do the hard yards", or 'we've put in the hard yards".. Any ideas on meaning or derivation?

Surely based on the somewhat older phrase 'to go the last mile'; ie to do the really hard bit of any task. The actual phrase seems contemporary and possibly a little artificial - still, one must have sound bites in these times, and I guess that is just what it is!

• Hard yards Paul Guthrie 10/19/01