Meaning of "tough go"

Question

I am trying to find out the meaning of "tough go" as in "This job is going to be a tough go for us."
While I can more or less guess it parhaps means a difficult activity, I would like to see a more dictionary type of definition. I tried to look it up on m-w.com but could not find it as a phrase. The various entries for go as a noun are not very helpful.
Actually, I always wonder if there are good online dictionaries where I can look up for phrases. If you have any suggestions, please point me to them.
Thanks to you all.

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]I am trying to find out the meaning of "tough go" as in "This job is going to be a tough go for us." While I can more or less guess it parhaps means a difficult activity,[/nq]
Yes.
[nq:1]I would like to see a more dictionary type of definition. I tried to look it up on m-w.com but could not find it as a phrase. The various entries for go as a noun are not very helpful.[/nq]
I know it's hard to pick out the right meaning from a long list (I have the same trouble with Dutch-English dictionaries) but it's there. Under go:
6 a : a turn in an activity (as a game) b : ATTEMPT, TRY

7 : a spell of activity

And under "tough":
6 : difficult to accomplish, resolve, endure, ordeal with

7 : stubbornly fought

I Googled the phrase to get a sense of frequency and distribution. Many of the hits were about sports. In particular, I wonder if American football, with its short, concentrated bursts of "making downs" could be the source of "a tough go."
[nq:1]Actually, I always wonder if there are good online dictionaries where I can look up for phrases. If you have any suggestions, please point me to them.[/nq]
Merriam-Webster is actually pretty good about two-word phrases. You can also try Onelook.com and Cambridge Dictionaries (idioms) /
However, I don't think any dictionary is going to list entries that are simply the sum of two or more parts, ones that could be figured out by knowing the separate words (assuming that's possible). There would just be too many phrases to handle.

Best Donna Richoux

Meaning of "tough go"

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