tough all over, bud

Originated on Taste of Chaos 2007 in tour catering, it has since spread to Warped Tour and Family Values; it's also been popularized among high school students in Shanghai, China by an American grad student teaching English/History classes there.

Initially used to describe life on the road (hard work, constant annoyances, temperature extremes), it also checkmates complainers by referencing the universal toughness of life (and says, "I don't care".)

Can also be said to oneself after failing / not getting what you want / getting in trouble.

"So this stagehand came back to the kitchen and said he didn't get enough to eat"
"What'd you do?"
"I said, LOOK BUD, it's tough all over"
______________

(whiner droning on about work nonsense during cartoon time on the bus):
"such a bad day, im so pissed off at this guy cause..."
"yeah it's tough all over, bud...now shut the fuck up...Aqua Teen"
______________

"did you hear what happened to Fleetwood?"
"what happened to Fleetwood?"
"he got pulled over and the cops found 30 ecstasy tabs"
"Fuckin' ouch! Tough all over bud!"
"Fuckin' tough all around"

by Rumbleminz October 12, 2007

When the going gets tough they buckle like a belt

When facing adversity, some individuals rise up to meet the challenge. This antonym of a more well known phrase describes much the opposite—a person who cannot handle pressure and crumples (buckles) in the face of hardship, frequently leading to their own failure.

"I would say 'when the going get tough, the tough get going', but even though she studied for weeks, when Anna went in for the final test, she totally blew it."

"I'm not surprised, it's Anna after all. When the going gets tough, she buckles like a belt."
("When the going gets tough they buckle like a belt used" when in a sentence may include pronounces, or a name instead.)

by AmraKamra May 6, 2023

It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken

What a woman typically says to her husband when her lips begin to hang.

Man- Honey, your lips are loose.

Wife- It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken

by goatgoatgoat666 May 8, 2013

Telephone Tough Guy

Someone who acts tough or hardcore through a telephone or computer but lacks the courage to act accordingly in person. Telephone Tough Guy

Todd is a coward in person but acts like he is Mike Tyson over the telephone/computer, he is a real telephone tough guy.

by Markizel May 19, 2019

dam thats tough

something you say when when it didn't happen to you so u don't feel bad

Friend: My whole family die

Me: dam thats tough

by ur dad lesbien March 8, 2021

Tough Mudder

A really difficult shit.

Aaron: “Where are you off to Janelle?”
Janelle: “I need to tame a beast, I’ve had a tough mudder brewing all morning. If I don’t hurry up it’s gonna turn into a mud slide!”

by Andos Hastos January 11, 2022

Discord Tough Guy

Tough guy: The wannabe intimidator on Discord, threatening to doxx or fight anyone who annoys him. He surrounds himself with loyal underlings—yes-men who blindly follow him, doing his dirty work. Once he’s done using them, he discards them like trash, leaving them bitter and full of regret.

Eventually, people see through his act—he’s just a kid trying to prove himself but failing miserably. His underlings, now resentful, realize they were just pawns. Soon, he becomes irrelevant, remembered only as a joke. While he sits at home trash-talking on Discord, he’s nothing more than a lolcow making a fool of himself.

.

Tom: Remember that dude who tried to intimidate him?

James: Yeah, I know him I always saw for the little boy he is. Discord Tough Guy, what a joke

by rockwilliams January 20, 2025