hard ‧ ball /ˈhɑːdbɔːl $ ˈhɑːrdbɒːl/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable] American English
play hardball informal to be very determined to get what you want, especially in business or politics
hard ‧ ball /ˈhɑːdbɔːl $ ˈhɑːrdbɒːl/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable] American English
play hardball informal to be very determined to get what you want, especially in business or politics
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. Longman - Словарь современного английского языка. 2012