die hard

Verb

die hard (third-person singular simple present dies hard, present participle dying hard, simple past and past participle died hard)

1. (idiomatic, intransitive) Of a living being, to die only after a desperate struggle for life.
2. (idiomatic, intransitive) Of a custom, idea, etc. to be slow in changing or disappearing.
   • Already, however, in this earliest phase, new types cease to be invented; technical skill lingers on and dies hard, but inspiration has gone.1907, Ronald M. Burrows, The Discoveries In Crete, page 99
   • In Scotland, though, some of the Caledonian products have died hard. They were mostly good straightforward engines.1954 May, John W. Grant, “A Railway Requiem”, in Railway Magazine, page 349