hard knocks
Noun
Meaning
a state of misfortune or affliction
Source: WordNetSynonyms
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Examples
Those whom fate has dealt hard knocks remain vulnerable for ever afterwards.
Men fight for liberty and win it with hard knocks. Their children, brought up easy, let it slip away again, poor fools. And their grandchildren are once more slaves.
Do not allow to slip away from you freedoms the people who came before you won with such hard knocks.
Life gives you enough hard knocks so it's unlikely you'll stay that sure of yourself.
As my father would have said, I went through the college of hard knocks.
The chap that endures hard knocks like a man enjoys a soft time later on.