Phrases & SayingsWork, bush and rural life
put in the hard yards
Also: do the hard yards
Perform the sustained difficult work needed for a result.
In a sentence
She put in the hard yards before the final.
Where it came from
The Australian National Dictionary Centre records “put in the hard yards” in Australian usage. Its deeper origin remains uncertain.
- Initial era
- 2000–today
- Where used
- Australia-wide