What it means
A tough cookie is someone who doesn’t fold when life starts throwing elbows. They can take a hit, keep their head, and push on without turning into a puddle. You say it with respect for someone who’s sturdy in the soul and not easy to rattle.
Usage examples
"Boss tried to rattle her in the meeting, but she just smiled, fixed the mess, and carried on. Absolute tough cookie, that one."
"She lost her job and her flat in one week but bounced back, a real tough cookie."
"Do not worry about him, he is a tough cookie, he has been through worse."
"Don’t write Nan off just because she’s quiet. That woman beat cancer, buried two husbands, and still runs the whole family. Proper tough cookie."
"He got stitched up at work, lost the lot, then started again from scratch. Tough cookie, mate. Most people would’ve packed it in."
Where it comes from
Recorded in American English by the early 1900s, this uses cookie in the older sense of a person, same family as smart cookie. Add tough and you get someone hard to crack or push around. It stuck as a warm, respectful way to praise grit without making it sound stiff.
Other ways to say it
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