take a (long) hard look at sth

"[take] a (long|) hard look at {sth}" 的定义和意义

to take a (long) hard look at sth

仔细考虑某事

to think about or consider something very carefully, particularly with the intention of improving it in mind

What is the origin of the idiom "take a hard look" and when to use it?

The idiom "take a hard look" emerged in mid-20th century America, a time when closer regulation and scrutiny of both government and business was growing, and more objective, data-driven analysis was preferred over superficial evaluations. Drawing from existing expressions like "take a good look" but intensifying the focus on rigorous examination rather than casual observation, the idea of taking a "hard look" implied thoroughly investigating issues critically and unflinchingly, getting down to fine-grained details instead of cursory glimpses, in order to confront tough problems head-on rather than shy away from difficulties uncovered. It appears when surface-level reviews have failed to drive meaningful change or address underlying issues, signaling the need for a more rigorous, critical analysis.

例子

Now that we've had a couple disappointing quarters, it's time for management to take a long hard look at our pricing strategy and whether changes are needed.

The board of directors has decided to take a hard look at our expenditures and cut back on unnecessary spending.

As the new COO, part of my job is to take a long hard look at our operations and processes to find ways to increase efficiency.

The recent security breaches really underscore how urgently we need to take a hard look at our cybersecurity protocols and shore up any vulnerabilities.

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"[take] a (long|) hard look at {sth}" 的定义和意义

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