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pitched battle, a

Idioms  
  1. An intense conflict, as in Their disagreement turned into a pitched battle between the nurses and the physicians' assistants. This term, dating from about 1600, originally alluded to a military battle in which the array of forces and battleground are predetermined (as opposed to a hasty skirmish).


Example Sentences

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Amelia had been raised to believe that existence was a pitched battle, a series of challenges to be brooked.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 13, 2020

As Lieutenant Summers had explained to the boys, even in pitched battle a good deal of powder and shot was spent often without anybody being injured.

From The Radio Boys with the Revenue Guards by Gerald Breckenridge

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