hard nut to crack vs trouble

hard nut to crack

noun
  • A problem that is challenging to solve. 

  • Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see hard, nut, crack. 

  • A situation, person, group, etc. which is difficult to overcome or deal with. 

  • A place, opportunity, etc. to which it is difficult to gain entry. 

  • An amount that is difficult to finance. 

trouble

noun
  • A difficulty, problem, condition, or action contributing to such a situation. 

  • A fault or interruption in a stratum. 

  • A malfunction. 

  • A violent occurrence or event. 

  • Efforts taken or expended, typically beyond the normal required. 

  • Liability to punishment; conflict with authority. 

  • Wife. Clipping of trouble and strife. 

  • A distressing or dangerous situation. 

verb
  • In weaker sense: to bother or inconvenience. 

  • To mentally distress; to cause (someone) to be anxious or perplexed. 

  • To worry; to be anxious. 

  • To take pains to do something. 

How often have the words hard nut to crack and trouble occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )