Meanings
- not comparablesimileVery tough.
"beneath their Golden State polish these records are as tough as teak, with a swagger imparted by as good a phrasemaker as ever made rock and roll records."
2003 October 11, Helen Cushion, “Uncut Magazine Uk November issue”, in alt.music.zevon (Usenet)3 more examples
We could not find that she had sustained any material damage, for thanks to the Hindostane builder, the old Brougham is as tough as teak and nails can make her.
1842, H.H. Chambers (publisher), The New Zealand Journal, Volume 3, page 282Big Salvo was up there with the greatest front rowers of the 90's. Like O'Doherty he had it all. He was as tough as teak, made the hard yards, was a punishing defender, and had amazing ball skills for a man his size. Injury and suspension unfortunately dampened his career, he was somewhat inexplicably dropped as the incumbent test prop after 91. He along with Geyer, Bella, Meninga, etc slaughtered the Kiwi's in that series.
1999 August 25, Dr Who, “Most Under Rated Players - This Decade”, in aus.sport.rugby-league (Usenet)Sammy knew Johnny was as tough as teak and he carried a punch like a sledgehammer blow. Sammy had never forgotten how Johnny had once handled a punk who had tried to pick a quarrel.
2000, James Hadley Chase, Knock, Knock! Who's There?, page 4
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
First use appears c. 1842. See cite below.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
tough as teak. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tough%20as%20teak
“tough as teak.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tough%20as%20teak. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tough as teak,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tough%20as%20teak.
Source: tough as teak on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.