long row to hoe
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
A difficult task or challenge ahead
Literally: a long row of crops to hoe
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
We've got a long row to hoe before the project is completed
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.
Common questions
What does “long row to hoe” mean?
A difficult task or challenge ahead Literally: a long row of crops to hoe
Is “long row to hoe” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.