school of hard knocks
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
1870.
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun[edit]
school of hard knocks (plural schools of hard knocks)
- (idiomatic, chiefly US) The source of an education consisting of real-world experiences, especially adverse experiences.
- 1870, The Men Who Advertise: An Account of Successful Advertisers, New York: Rowell, page 161:
- Trained, however, in the school of hard knocks, he now had learned the theory of success, and from that time on has had it.
- 2000 April 26, Walter A. McDougall, “Who Were We in Vietnam?”, in New York Times, retrieved 3 Aug. 2008:
- Did Vietnam's school of hard knocks teach Americans to do peacemaking and state building right?
Synonyms[edit]
Translations[edit]
source of education by adverse experience
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