टेढ़ी खीर (tedhii khiir)

noun Literally 'crooked kheer (rice pudding)' -- an idiom for a task that is unexpectedly difficult or tricky to pull off, used as an ordinary noun in a sentence.
Sense 1 : a tough/tricky task
noun, feminine Used predicatively with होना (honaa) as in x टेढ़ी खीर है (x tedhii khiir hai, 'x is a tough nut to crack'), or as the object of समझना (samajhnaa) or बनना (bannaa).
Synonyms: मुश्किल काम (mushkil kaam), लोहे के चने चबाना (lohe ke chane chabaanaa, idiom, to face a very hard task)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Kheer (khiir) is a soft, slow-cooked rice pudding -- the furthest thing from 'crooked' or difficult, which is exactly the joke buried in this idiom: something that should be smooth and easy turns out twisted and hard. You will hear it in everyday complaints like यह काम टेढ़ी खीर है (yah kaam tedhii khiir hai, 'this job is a tough nut to crack'), often with a rueful, half-amused tone rather than real frustration.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes translate this word for word as 'crooked pudding' and miss that it is a fixed idiom, not a literal description of food -- it only ever refers to a difficult task or situation, never to actual kheer (khiir). 2) The adjective टेढ़ी (tedhii) is frozen in this feminine form to agree with खीर (khiir); it does not change even when describing a masculine task, since the noun phrase itself is treated as one fixed unit.
Sample Sentences:
यह काम टेढ़ी खीर है। This job is a tough nut to crack.
(yah kaam tedhii khiir hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
सबको मनाना टेढ़ी खीर था। Convincing everyone was a tough nut to crack.
(sabko manaanaa tedhii khiir thaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
यह प्रोजेक्ट टेढ़ी खीर साबित होगा। This project will prove to be a tough nut to crack.
(yah projekt tedhii khiir saabit hogaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
अगर सरकारी दफ्तर से काम कराना टेढ़ी खीर न होता, तो लोग इतना परेशान न होते। If getting work done through a government office weren't such a tough nut to crack, people wouldn't be so frustrated.
(agar sarkaarii daphtar se kaam karaanaa tedhii khiir n hotaa, to log itnaa pareshaan n hote।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
उसके लिए हिंदी सीखना टेढ़ी खीर लगती है। Learning Hindi seems like a tough nut to crack for him.
(uske lie hindii siikhnaa tedhii khiir lagtii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
शायद यह मामला उतनी टेढ़ी खीर न हो जितना सोचा जा रहा है। Maybe this matter isn't as much of a tough nut to crack as it's being thought to be.
(shaayad yah maamlaa utnii tedhii khiir n ho jitnaa sochaa jaa rahaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
बॉस को समझाना कोई टेढ़ी खीर नहीं है, बस थोड़ा धैर्य चाहिए। Explaining things to the boss isn't such a tough nut to crack, you just need a bit of patience.
(bos ko samjhaanaa koii tedhii khiir nahiin hai, bas thodaa dhairy chaahie।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
पुराने घर की मरम्मत टेढ़ी खीर बन गई है। Repairing the old house has become a tough nut to crack.
(puraane ghar kii marammat tedhii khiir ban gaii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
इस पहेली को हल करना सच में टेढ़ी खीर निकला। Solving this puzzle really turned out to be a tough nut to crack.
(is pahelii ko hal karnaa sach men tedhii khiir niklaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): टेढ़ी खीर (tedhii khiir)
(sg.f.oblique): टेढ़ी खीर (tedhii khiir)
(pl.f.direct): टेढ़ी खीरें (tedhii khiiren)
(pl.f.oblique): टेढ़ी खीरों (tedhii khiiron)