Sgt_Markoff Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 What is, "hard-boiled"? Discuss. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopBilled Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 Yeah, this term never made sense to me. Usually when things are boiled, they soften. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceA Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 The phrase 'hard-boiled' itself in respect to human character originates somewhere in the last quarter of the 19th century. It is said to originate from the notion that a hard-boiled egg is tough, or 'hard to beat' as a vaudeville gag would have it (with reservations read Peter Tamony.) The hard-boiled egg as a measure of human character is prefigured by the 'bad egg' which is often said to have its origin in the Samuel Hammett novel Captain Priest (1855.) https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-etymology-of-the-term-hard-boiled-fiction-detective-etc 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt_Markoff Posted November 30, 2018 Author Share Posted November 30, 2018 The "boiled shirt" was an aspect of life in the late 1800s. You would wear it to church, to lynchings, bull-and-bear fights, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dress_shirt#Formal_shirts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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