hardball

hard·ball  (härdbôl)

n.

1. Baseball.

2. Informal The use of any means, however ruthless, to attain an objective.

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hardball [ˈhɑːdbɔːl]

n

1. (Team Sports / Baseball) US and Canadian baseball as distinct from softball

play hardball Informal chiefly US and Canadian to act in a ruthless or uncompromising way

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	hardball - a no-nonsense attitude in business or politics; "they play hardball in the Senate" attitude, mental attitude - a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways; "he had the attitude that work was fun"
	2.	hardball - baseball as distinguished from softball baseball, baseball game - a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs; "he played baseball in high school"; "there was a baseball game on every empty lot"; "there was a desire for National League ball in the area"; "play ball!" softball game, softball - a game closely resembling baseball that is played on a smaller diamond and with a ball that is larger and softer

Translations

hardball [ˈhɑː^rdbɔːl] n
to play hardball (= get tough) → employer les grands moyens
hard-bitten [ˌhɑː^rdˈbɪt^ən] adj (= tough) [journalist, soldier, detective] → endurci(e)