tough luck
The idiom "tough luck" can convey either sympathy or a lack of sympathy, depending on the context and tone.
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Definition
B2General
(sympathetic, informal)An expression used to show sympathy or regret for someone's misfortune.
Example
- You missed the last bus? Tough luck, that's really unfortunate.
- Tough luck, I heard you didn't get the job.
B2General
(unsympathetic, informal, ironic)A phrase used to indicate that someone must accept an unfortunate situation without expecting help or change.
Example
- You didn't finish your project on time? Tough luck, you should have started earlier.
- Tough luck, you should have read the instructions more carefully.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "tough luck":
hard lucktough breaktoo badgood luckgood lickluck pennytough lovetough as nailstough cookiesomeone's luck is intough nut to crackhard outhard timebad news