tough luck

[Floating_Cloud]

Hi Teachers,

Here are the meanings of 'tough luck' in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English:

tough luck! spoken
a) used when you do not have any sympathy for someone's problems:
Well, that's just their tough luck! It was their mistake.

b) [British English] used when you feel sympathy about something bad that has happened to someone:
You didn't get the job? Oh, tough luck!

See, the 2 meanings are completely opposite to each other. I am lost, should I ask listeners 'do you speak British English or American English' before I use this phrase?

It is so weird that a phrase means 2 things completely opposite.

Any ideas?

Thanks a lot.

[Beeesneees]

It's more complicated than you think, Floating Cloud. It's used with both meanings in British English.
The key to unravelling which is meant is greater context and, when the phrase is spoken, tone of voice.
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Cheers m' dears!

[Esl_Expert]

The collocation 'tough luck' can be used both ways in American English as well, and as Beeesneees has mentioned, the tone of voice makes a difference. The way the words are used in the sentence also makes a difference.

In American English, however, if all that is said is "Tough luck!", then the meaning would usually be definition (a) -- i.e. used to indicate that the speaker has no sympathy for the other person's problem(s).

On the other hand, if someone said "Oh, what tough luck!", that would normally indicate sympathy.

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"If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure." ~ Bill Gates

[Alan]

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Surely it's not the tone of voice that matters but the context in which the expression is used. After all, tone of voice and intonation can change anything. You can even say 'Good luck' in different ways, too.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
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