# What is the antonym idiom of "Low Hanging Fruit"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 13, 2019, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623 "2019-08-13T19:32:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/1 "2019-08-13T19:32:12Z")
What would be the opposite of this term, as an idiom? Obviously “High hanging fruit” would be the literal opposite, but no one says this. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/2 "2019-08-13T19:37:53Z")
Since “low-hanging fruit” implies obtaining something after minimal effort, its antonym should indicate a goal achieved after maximal effort. If you’re after an existing idiom, I’d nominate “putting a man on the moon.” Sure, it originated in a literal action, but has since become a shorthand for things humanity can accomplish when we put our minds to it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/3 "2019-08-13T19:44:30Z")
A tough row to hoe? ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/4 "2019-08-13T19:44:44Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Since “low-hanging fruit” implies obtaining something after minimal effort, its antonym should indicate a goal achieved after maximal effort. > > If you’re after an existing idiom, I’d nominate “putting a man on the moon.” Sure, it originated in a literal action, but has since become a shorthand for things humanity can accomplish when we put our minds to it. Thanks. I’m thinking of something not quite so extreme. The opposite of “quick fixes” I suppose. I don’t want to imply a “Hurculean Effort”, hehe. Something totally doable but not without some effort. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/5 "2019-08-13T19:50:08Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > If you’re after an existing idiom, I’d nominate “putting a man on the moon.” Sure, it originated in a literal action, but has since become a shorthand for things humanity can accomplish when we put our minds to it. The term “moonshot” is used more colloquially. Meaning a project that is hard to do with a chance of success that is far from 100%. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/6 "2019-08-13T19:54:21Z")
Used not exactly as opposite but in a similar sense : 1. law of diminishing returns 2. The last 10% of a project takes 90% of the time ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/7 "2019-08-13T19:54:22Z")
buckling down burning the candle at both ends burning the midnight oil giving 110% going the extra mile ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/8 "2019-08-13T19:55:26Z")
Tough sledding? j ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/9 "2019-08-13T20:02:43Z")
Low !/$ (pronounced “low bang for buck”) “Low hanging fruit” doesn’t mean “easy”; it means improvements that have a high rate of return compared to their investment. “Moonshot” doesn’t fit–that was a big return for a big investment. **am77494** suggestions are more accurate in that they refer to those things you save for last, because you’ve run out of things with a better return. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/10 "2019-08-13T20:03:27Z")
Hmm, I like “going the extra mile”. That implies that it’s worthwhile. I’d like a noun equivalent. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/11 "2019-08-13T20:15:15Z")
Swinging for the fences. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/12 "2019-08-13T20:53:27Z")
I would agree that “low hanging fruit” has connotations of ease, certainty, and significant benefit with minimum effort. So which one of these (or what other elements) do we emphasize in seeking an antonym? Are we looking for a phrase that means “very hard to do, but certain of benefit?” Or, “easy to do, but with no benefit?” Or, “hard to do, with very little certainty of success?” I’m not trying to quibble, but there’s lots of wiggle room in what the antonym might be. For example, our project planners might say, “In an ideal world, what do we want to achieve?” when they want us to speculate on the best possible results, regardless of how much effort, money, or time it will take. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/13 "2019-08-13T21:01:53Z")
> [@](#): > > What is the antonym idiom of “Low Hanging Fruit”? Ovaries? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/14 "2019-08-13T21:11:27Z")
Reach for the stars. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/15 "2019-08-13T21:13:04Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > Are we looking for a phrase that means “very hard to do, but certain of benefit?” Or, “easy to do, but with no benefit?” Or, “hard to do, with very little certainty of success?” I’m not trying to quibble, but there’s lots of wiggle room in what the antonym might be. Yes, the OP has clarified that s/he is looking for the “antonym” of “quick fixes,” but I don’t think that’s what “low hanging fruit” means. It could be that there just isn’t a single “antonym,” (at least not one the fits the OP’s needs). Idioms aren’t mathematical terms. They arise out of certain contexts, and there can be several with similar ideas but which address those different contexts in different ways. ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/16 "2019-08-13T21:18:07Z")
I think **am74944** nailed it. I can just hear this in a company meeting: “We already got the low-hanging fruit; now we’ve been chasing ever-diminishing returns and scraping the bottom of the barrel.” ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/17 "2019-08-13T21:19:52Z")
Gold medal. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/18 "2019-08-13T21:21:53Z")
The sweetest cherries grow from the highest branches. ---
**Author:** ![EdelweissPirate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@EdelweissPirate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdelweissPirate)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/19 "2019-08-13T21:57:01Z")
I’d argue that “brass ring” is antipodal to “low-hanging fruit.” “Low-hanging fruit” refers to something that’s desirable and easily achievable. “Reaching for the brass ring” is an attempt to achieve something that many desire but few attain. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623/20 "2019-08-13T21:59:05Z")
Setting a high bar? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-antonym-idiom-of-low-hanging-fruit/838623.md?page=2)