pull teeth
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English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (AU) (file)
Verb[edit]
pull teeth (third-person singular simple present pulls teeth, present participle pulling teeth, simple past and past participle pulled teeth)
- (dentistry) To extract teeth, usually because they are decayed or damaged.
- (idiomatic, intransitive) To do something that is especially difficult or effortful.
- Synonym: get blood out of a stone
- You will probably have to pull teeth to get a straight answer from a car salesman.
- 2022 October 7, Emma Goldberg, “The Job Market Has Been Like Musical Chairs. Will the Music Stop?”, in The New York Times[1]:
- “We thought there would be a mad rush of students participating in these events, and it was like pulling teeth to get students to come out,” she recalled.
Usage notes[edit]
- Most often seen in the form "pulling teeth" or "like pulling teeth".
Translations[edit]
to do something especially difficult
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