1892. Milliken, ’Arry Ballads, p. 3. I call it ’ard lines, dear old man. Hard-mouthed, adj. (colloquial).—Difficult to deal with; wilful; obstinate. Also coarse in speech. [From the stable.] 1686. Durfey, Commonw. of Wordes, i., 1. [Speaking of a girl.] I hate your young Wechees, Skitish Colts—they are so hard mouth’d, there’s no dealing with em. 1704. Swift, Tale of a Tub, Sect. ix. I myself, the author of these momentous truths, am a person, whose imaginations are hard-mouthed, and exceedingly disposed to run away with his reason. 1704. Swift, Operation of the Spirit, Sect. ii., par. 9. The flesh ... when it comes to the turn of being bearer, is wonderfully headstrong and hard-mouthed. Hard-neck, subs. (tailors’).—Brazen impudence, monumental cheek (q.v.). Hard-on, adj. phr. (venery).—Prick-proud. For synonyms, see Horn. Hard-pan, subs. phr. (American).—The lowest point; bed-rock (q.v.). 1882. Besant, All Sorts and Conditions of Men, ch. xxi. And as for business, it’s got down to the hard pan, and dollars are skurce. 1861. Holmes, Elsie Venner, ch. viii. Mr. Silas Peckham had gone a little deeper than he meant, and came upon the hard pan, as the well-diggers call it, of the Colonel’s character, before he thought of it. 1888. Missouri Republican, 2 Mar. Prices were at hard pan. To get down to hard-pan, verb. phr. (American).—To buckle to; to get to business. Hard-puncher, subs. (common).—The fur cap of the London rough; formerly worn by men in training; a modification of the Scotch cap with a peak. [From the nickname of a noted pugilist.] Hard-pushed, adv. (colloquial).—In difficulties; hard-up (q.v.). a. 1871. Perils of Pearl Street, p. 123. As I said, at the end of six months we began to be hard-pushed. Our credit, however, was still fair. Hard Put To, adj. phr. (colloquial).—In a difficulty, monetary or other; e.g., He’d be hard put to it to find a sovereign (or a word, or an excuse) = It would take him all his time, etc. Hard-row. See Row. Hard-run, adj. (colloquial).—In want of money; hard-up (q.v.) Hard-shell, subs. (American).—A member of an extreme section of Baptists holding very strict and rigid views. [The soft-shells are of more liberal mind.] Also Hards and Softs. 1848. Jones, Sketches of Travel, p. 30. The old hard-shell laid about him like rath. 1888. Baltimore Sun. Mr. E., a regular member of the hard-shell Baptist Church. 1893. Stevenson, Island Night’s Entertainments, p. 35. He’s a hard-shell Baptist is Papa. 2. (political American).—A division of the Democratic Party in 1846–48, when the Hunkers (q.v.) received the name of Hards, and their opponents, the Barn-burners (q.v.) that of Softs. 1847. Robb, Squatter Life, p. 91. Hards, softs, whigs and Tylerites were represented. Adj. (American).—Extremely orthodox; unyielding; hidebound. Hard-stuff, subs. (American).—1. Money.