hard put adjective
[more hard put; most hard put] : hard-pressed — used to say that it is difficult to do something — followed by to + verb ▪ He was hard put to describe their musical style. [=it was difficult for him to describe their musical style] ▪ I would be hard put to find an explanation. — sometimes used in the phrase hard put to it ▪ She was hard put to it to say what the story was about. [=she found it hard to say what the story was about]
