hard word, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

hard word n.

1. (Anglo-Irish) a tip-off, a warning; thus give someone the hard word, to warn.

1842		S. Lover Handy Andy 369: He suspects you gave me the hard word.
1914		Joyce ‘Two Gallants’ Dubliners (1956) 49: Whenever any job was vacant his friend was always ready to give him the hard word.
1943		(con. 1860s) G.A. Little Malachi Horan Remembers 73: I would never be passing his house after but he and his wife would be running out to the fence to give me the hard word.
2015		N. Cummins Tales of the Honey Badger [ebook] [A]nd recently having been given the hard word, I decided to attempt an unorthodox second-storey Mission Impossible entry.

2. (Aus.) an outrageous request.

1924		(con. WWI) A.G. Pretty Gloss. of Sl. [...] in the A.I.F. 1921–1924 (rev. t/s) n.p.: hard word. An outrageous demand. A request for a favor vigorously expressed.
1983		J. Byrell (con. 1959) Up the Cross 16: ‘D’ya expect us to hang it on to Whiffy to hit you you with the hard word about taking you out’.

put the hard word on (v.) (orig. Aus./N.Z.)

1. to make demands (esp. financial or sexual) of someone.

1918		Aussie (France) 6 Aug. 11/2: ‘I’m off now to put the hard word on the Babbling Brook for some more dripping!’ [...] Our prize Section Dope was trying to put the hard word on the Quarter Bloke for a tin of butter.
1921		(con. WWI) E. Lynch Somme Mud 49: Darky [...] ends by putting the hard word on them for ‘a bit of buckshee tucker.’.
1941		K. Tennant Battlers 141: There’s Jasprey now [...] Come on. Let’s put the hard word on him.
1951		D. Stivens Jimmy Brockett 117: If I’d slung a diamond bracelet her way before I’d put the hard word on her, it’d have been a very different story.
1969		A. Buzo Rooted II i: Look, if he’s putting the hard word on you, if he’s being in any way coercive [...] I’ll take care of it.
1985		B. Humphries Traveller’s Tool 7: Publishers have been putting the hard word on me for yonks to spill the beans, tell it like it is and tip the bucket.
1993		M.B. ‘Chopper’ Read How to Shoot Friends 52: The White Dove proceeded to put the hard word on him for a truck load of firewood.
2005		M.B. ‘Chopper’ Read Chopper 4 77: I was a bit pissed and I put the hard word on her [...] ‘Lend me $200.’.
2018		G. Disher Kill Shot [ebook] [He] put the hard word on his pizza cooks, counter staff and delivery boys to front up.

2. to interrogate, to question.

1936

‘Banjo’ Paterson Shearer’s Colt 17: I’d put the word on this red bloke if I was you, trooper.

3. to reprimand, to scold.

2005		P. Temple Broken Shore (2007) [ebook] Put the hard word on Debbie. She won’t listen to her mum.
2009		P. Temple Truth 116: He knew he should have woken her, talked to her, showed concern, put the hard word on her.