"Tough Cookie" Idiom Meaning, Origin & History | Superduper English Idioms
Channel: Superduper English Idioms
Date: 2021-06-22

0:00 - How to Say, “Tough cookie.”
0:50 - Examples of “Tough cookie.”
1:32 - Meaning of “Tough cookie.”
1:49 - Origin of “Tough cookie.”
3:30 - More Examples of “Tough cookie.”
4:13 - Conclusion

“Tough cookie.”

If someone is called a “tough cookie”, it means that they are strong, tenacious, determined and aren’t easily discouraged, daunted, depressed.

Though anyone can be called a “tough cookie”, it is most often used in reference to women or children - perhaps because traditionally, men are supposed to be tough, rough, rugged.

Sometimes, people who are stubborn, demanding or hard to deal with are called “tough cookies”, but the idiom is more often a compliment than a criticism.

“Don’t worry, she’s a tough cookie. See? She’s back to playing like nothing happened,” you tell your uncle after watching your daughter fall.

Maybe your friend is going through a rough patch in life, “You’re a tough cookie, you’ll work things out. I’m here for you, too!”

“She’s a tough cookie, eh? Did you negotiate a raise?” you might ask your colleague that just stepped out of a meeting with your boss.

As you can see, if someone is resilient or ruthless, hardy or harsh, unbreakable or unsympathetic, they can be called a “tough cookie”.

The origin of the idiom, “tough cookie”, is unclear, but it really only started appearing in the mid-1930s, in American English.

“Tough nut”, on the other hand, has been used since at least the 1850s and in some instances can be used in the same way as “tough cookie”.

“Tough nut” is often used in the phrase, “a tough nut to crack”, which describes a stubborn, difficult, obstinate person or situation.

Perhaps “tough cookie” evolved from “tough nut” specifically as a form of praise for being fierce, fervent, forceful.

We know that men started calling women, especially attractive women, “cookie”, as a sort of colloquial appellation or cute nickname as early as the 1920s…

… so, “tough cookie” would be an almost natural combination of “tough nut” and “cookie”; a pretty, beautiful, appealing woman, who instead of being “soft” was instead tough!

“My wife has been through a lot, she’s a tough cookie,” you might be starting off a story about your partner.

Perhaps your grandmother is yelling at someone in the street who bumped her, “I think you’d better apologize! My grandma’s a tough cookie and won’t back down…”

“She’s a tough cookie. It’s not going to be as easy as I thought to negotiate a deal,” some business executives might be discussing between all-day meetings.

So, the next time you encounter someone - especially a woman or child - who is strong, indestructible, unbreakable or is perhaps demanding, difficult, unsympathetic, just say that they’re a “tough cookie”.

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References: http://idiomic.com/tough-cookie/

https://www.etymonline.com/word/cookie

https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/tough-cookie.15245/