English · Idiom Candidate

hold hard

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

to wait or stop for a moment

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

đợi hoặc dừng lại một chút

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: physically grasp something firmly

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Examples

Hold hard, I need to think about this.

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

an exclamation made when a sudden stoppage is desired. Originally an expression used in riding or driving, now general.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Dừng lại ngay, ban đầu dùng khi cưỡi ngựa

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)

Where it’s used: Origin British & Irish English

Sources & notes

Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “hold hard” mean?

to wait or stop for a moment Literally: physically grasp something firmly

Is “hold hard” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.