case-hardened
- s used of persons; emotionally hardened
faced a case-hardened judge
- Impatience with job-hunting journalism school graduates comes naturally to many a case-hardened newspaper editor.
- She calls her loverhusband "Preppie" about 900 times too often; she sometimes seems case-hardened enough to scratch a diamond.
- The company's astonishing success is the result of a combination of safety-minded care and case-hardened lawyering.