The Die Hards
Preserved but no longer current.
The Middlesex Regiment, the 57th Foot, which was raised in 1755. At the Battle of Albuera, May 16th, 1811, the regiment was hard pressed; Colonel Inglis (later General Sir William) who was badly wounded, refused to be taken to the rear, but lay where he fell, crying, "Die hard, men, die hard!
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The Die Hards” mean?
The Middlesex Regiment, the 57th Foot, which was raised in 1755. At the Battle of Albuera, May 16th, 1811, the regiment was hard pressed; Colonel Inglis (later General Sir William) who was badly wounded, refused to be taken to the rear, but lay where he fell, crying, "Die hard, men, die hard!
Is “The Die Hards” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.