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What does 'a bear' mean here as a noun?

“I say, ‘No, it’s a serious degree, a chemistry degree first and foremost. It’s hard work. Organic chemistry is a bear,” the 27 year old told the Associated Press.

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"A bear" is a slang expression (at least in the US; not sure about other countries) for something that is very bad, scary, horrible, a nightmare, a big problem, difficult, or impossible, etc. I think it is a euphemism for "a bitch", because it starts with the same sound, but you can use "bear" in situations where "bitch" might not be acceptable.

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  • Similar to "a beast".
    – Mixolydian
    Apr 1, 2019 at 19:08

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