Where does “kova pähkinä purtavaksi” come from?

kova pähkinä purtavaksi (Finnish) comes from Finnish pähkinä, from Proto-Finno-Permic päškɜ.

kova pähkinä purtavaksi (Finnish): hard nut to crack, tough nut to crack, problem that is challenging to solve

Definitions

  1. hard nut to crack, tough nut to crack, problem that is challenging to solve

Ancestry of “kova pähkinä purtavaksi”, step by step

kova pähkinä purtavaksi traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish pähkinä

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishpähkinänut; hazel; puzzle, riddle; difficult problem,...
2Proto-Finno-Permicpäškɜ—

via Finnish kova

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishkovahard; strict, harsh, severe, unfriendly, hard,...
2Proto-Finnickovahard
Every word from Proto-Finno-Permic päškɜ →Every word from Finnish pähkinä →