# tall order

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/tall-order
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A big job; a difficult challenge.

## Examples

- Finishing this project by tomorrow is a tall order.
- Asking the team to double their output in one week is a tall order for anyone.
- To rebuild the entire infrastructure within such a limited budget proved to be a tall order that even the most experienced contractors hesitated to accept.

## Origin

tall (“big, large”) + order (“request”).

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.