hard knocks
plural noun

- difficult or painful experiences or circumstances, often used in the phrase ‘school of hard knocks’

Merriam-Webster

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PHRASE ORIGIN

The phrase "hard knocks" using "knock" as a metaphor for a setback or blow emerged in the mid-1800s.

The earliest documented use of "the school of hard knocks" was found in an American publication from 1870, "The Men Who Advertise" by George P. Rowell.

Ralph Albert Parlette (1870–1930) was an American author renowned for his motivational writings, in particular “The University of Hard Knocks (1914), which emphasized learning through life's challenges.

In 1947, the phrase was institutionalized when newspaperman James Franklin Comstock founded the "University of Hard Knocks," an honorary society with a mission to recognize people who had become successful without the benefit of higher education.

Today, the idiom remains in common usage across English-speaking countries, particularly in contexts discussing self-education, resilience, and the value of practical experience over formal schooling.

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FROM SETBACKS TO STARDOM​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

- Oprah Winfrey: overcame a difficult childhood marked by poverty and trauma to become a media mogul and philanthropist.

- J.K. Rowling: faced financial hardship and multiple rejections before achieving global success with the Harry Potter series.

- Ray Kroc: started as a milkshake mixer salesman and, through perseverance and vision, built McDonald’s into a global fast-food empire.

- Steve Jobs and Richard Branson: both experienced early failures and setbacks but learned from them, eventually leading Apple and Virgin to international prominence.

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10 COMMON KNOCK-IDIOMS

How many do you know?

- knock on wood = to hope for continued good luck or to avoid bad luck (Our flight should be on time, knock on wood!)

- knock it off = stop doing something annoying or inappropriate (Knock it off with the loud music, I'm trying to work.)

- knock someone’s socks off = to impress or amaze someone greatly (That magic trick really knocked my socks off!)

- knock someone down a peg (or two) = to humble someone who is acting arrogantly (Losing the game knocked him down a peg.)

- knock something together = to make or assemble something quickly and without much care (I’ll just knock together a quick lunch before we leave.)

- knock around (with someone) = to spend time with someone informally (I used to knock around with Fritz when we were kids.)

- knock it out of the park = to do something extremely well or successfully (She knocked it out of the park with her presentation.)

- knock-on effect = an indirect consequence or chain reaction (The strike had a knock-on effect on production across the country.)

- knock someone for six (British) = shock or deeply upset someone (The news of her resignation knocked me for six.)

- opportunity knocks = a chance presents itself (When opportunity knocks, you should answer the door.)

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SYNONYMS



a bumpy (boat) ride, a rocky journey, a sheer cliff to climb, a slap in the face, adversity, afflictions, asperity, bad break, bad luck, baptism by fire, battling the storm, between a rock and a hard place, bitter lessons, bruising experience, bummer, bumps in the road, can of worms, character-building experiences, cold reality, crucible moments, curveballs, dark days, dark night of the soul, devil's own luck, difficult times, dire straits, dose of reality, downer, grim circumstances, hard cheese (lessons, luck, times), HARD KNOCKS, harsh lessons (truths), hot water, ill luck, in a jam (a pickle, a tight spot), kicked while down, knocked down but not out, learning the hard way, life lessons, life’s battles (blows, bruises, struggles, tests), mischance, misfortune, painful experiences (lessons), privation, quagmire, raw deal, reality check, riding the roller coaster of life, rough going (patches, ride), rotten luck, sailing through stormy seas, school of hard knocks, setbacks, strife, testing times, the rough and tumble, the school of life, thorny path, tough times, trial by fire, trials and tribulations, tribulations, university of experience (of hard knocks, of life), uphill battles, up a creek without a paddle, up against it, vicissitudes

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation today, say something like:

“How do you stay motivated during times of HARD KNOCKS?”

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