25B6; adjective
the hard-pressed infantry : UNDER ATTACK, hotly pursued, harried.
the hard-pressed construction industry : IN DIFFICULTIES, under pressure, troubled, beleaguered, harassed, with one's back to/against the wall, in a tight corner, in a tight spot, between a rock and a hard place; overburdened, overworked, overloaded, rushed off one's feet; informal pushed, up against it.