ruffian vs tough cookie

ruffian

noun
  • A scoundrel, rascal, or unprincipled, deceitful, brutal and unreliable person. 

verb
  • To play the ruffian; to rage; to raise tumult. 

adj
  • Brutal; cruel; savagely boisterous; murderous. 

tough cookie

noun
  • A person who can endure physical or mental hardship; a hardened, strong-willed person. 

  • A hardy, resilient animal or plant. 

  • Something troublesome or difficult to handle. 

How often have the words ruffian and tough cookie occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )