Q:

What do 'drive' and 'hard' refer to in 'drive a hard bargain'?

If I have to say that "this person(X) does very good bargaining" in a more refined way, I should ideally write "X drives a hard bargain". (I saw it in a book). I know that I have to use 'bargain' word here but now I wonder how they came up with 'drive' and 'hard'. Is this something which instinctively comes to their mind?

A:

In drive a hard bargain, drive seems to refer to drive a vehicle used metaphorically meaning to conduct a negotiation.  Hard refers to the strong, determined way in which the deal is carried out.

Origin: Mid-19th Century, American English. Even though “drive” sounds like it could be a 20th Century word having to do with automobiles, the word goes back to Old English and German before that, meaning to pursue, hunt, push from behind. And of course, humans have been driving cattle and other domestic animals for thousands of years. So it’s easy to see why the word was chosen in regard to vehicles. From there it’s an simple metaphoric leap to negotiating and bargaining.

Usage:  Informal, spoken, general, American and British English
Idiomatic Meaning: To be a strong negotiator and deal maker, succeeding in gaining the advantage over an adversary in a contract or a buying/selling/trading situation.

Literal Meaning: To operate and control the direction and speed of a vehicle made of a hard material as opposed to a soft material

Sample sentence: You “drove such a hard bargain” that I feel compelled to sign the contract.

(rollsoffthetongue.tumblr.com)

