hard done by
(UK, idiomatic) used, cheated, or exploited by.
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I find it's usually based on perceived wealth. The problem is everyone thinks they're hard done by and need more from the government and it's a failure of political leadership that causes it.
I don't think reskeeting the fucking Canary talking about how hard done by you are is actually a viable leadership strat personally
www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba.... this feller hasn’t done his research , just once when we’ve been hard done by 😳
Definitions
(UK, idiomatic) used, cheated, or exploited by.
King should feel a bit hard done by after being replaced in the team.
“I find it's usually based on perceived wealth. The problem is everyone thinks they're hard done by and need more from the government and it's a failure of political leadership that causes it.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“I don't think reskeeting the fucking Canary talking about how hard done by you are is actually a viable leadership strat personally”
— Bluesky· May 2026“www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba.... this feller hasn’t done his research , just once when we’ve been hard done by 😳”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
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Semantically related
- go hard with someone68%
(slang, idiomatic) To lead to someone suffering; to place someone in difficulty or danger.
- tryhard65%
Done to excess, to an embarrassing degree.
- do the dirty on65%
(idiomatic, transitive, UK, Australia, informal) To treat (someone) in an unfair manner; to cheat or betray.
- done up65%
(colloquial, obsolete, United States) Ruined by excess, especially gambling.
- done up like a kipper64%
(simile, UK, slang) cheated or exploited; treated unfairly.