I had the opposite experience in court once. I declined to answer a leading question, let's adopt that term, and the opposing counsel asked the judge to direct me to answer "yes" or "no" as I had been ordered. I addressed the judge directly and said that I could not answer so to such a question, and the judge directed me to answer in my own words. When later the opposing counsel (and I mean Counsel, not barrister - the person was a QC) asked another loaded question with the same stipulation that I answer "yes" or "no" I hesitated and looked at the judge, who immediately told me to answer in my own words and directed the QC to stop phrasing questions like that.
I have never been called a "hostile witness" so I don't know how I'd react, but my general stance in court would always be to use unambiguous language and resist an attempt to force me to do otherwise. "In extremis" I would refuse to answer at all. My brother did this once when he was an Expert Witness in a major criminal trial, and had been ordered by the judge to answer an improper question. The end result (some other things got in the way as well) was that a mis-trial was called, and we believe the judge was reprimanded (though of course we're never told such things).