hard-pressed
hard-pressed — 形容詞
1. in a difficult situation where you are struggling to meet demands or get things
陷入困境
因時間或金錢不足而難以應付的
in a difficult situation where you are struggling to meet demands or get things done, usually because there is too little time or money available
Hard-pressed families in the city struggle to pay their rent each month.
城市裡經濟拮据的家庭每月都很難付得起房租。
attributive use: hard-pressed families
After the factory closed, many workers were hard-pressed to find new jobs.
工廠關閉後，許多工人很難找到新工作。
hard-pressed + to-infinitive pattern
The local clinic was hard-pressed by the sudden outbreak of flu in the winter.
冬季流感突然爆發，讓當地診所承受了巨大壓力。
Even an experienced chef would be hard-pressed to prepare a three-course meal in twenty minutes.
就算是有經驗的廚師也很難在二十分鐘內準備好三道菜的餐點。
Hard-pressed homeowners often put off repairs when money is tight.
經濟拮据的屋主在錢不夠用的時候，往往會延後修繕。
- struggling
more general; can describe effort without specifying external constraints
- under pressure
emphasises the external demands or deadlines pressing on someone
- in difficulty
slightly more formal; often used in financial contexts
- hard up
informal; specifically refers to having very little money
文法句型
hard-pressed + to-infinitive
hard-pressed + by + [cause]
hard-pressed + for + [resource]
attributive: hard-pressed + noun
用法筆記
Common in news reports and everyday speech about financial or time constraints. Frequently appears in the pattern 'hard-pressed to do something', which emphasises how difficult an action is. Can be used both before a noun (attributive) and after verbs like 'be', 'feel', or 'seem' (predicative).