blood-and-guts
Americanadjective
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dealing with or depicting war or violence, especially in a lurid manner.
a blood-and-guts movie.
-
concerned with fundamental needs, problems, values, etc..
The blood-and-guts issues will determine the election.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s clear Roth was aiming for a blood-and-guts tour de force, which this both is and isn’t.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Armiliato’s conducting was notable for bringing out the score’s dynamic range; much of this orchestral performance was subtle and delicate, rather than the blaring blood-and-guts that is still the verismo stereotype.
From New York Times ● Jan. 1, 2023
All the squidgy toys and soft baby blankets and consumable cuteness is a huge denial of the blood-and-guts experience of birth.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 13, 2018
Those who lament that exciting singing is dead, take heart, because the young singers onstage at the Lisner Auditorium proved that thesis wrong with some thrillingly sung, blood-and-guts performances.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 21, 2016
A woman—presumably Chip’s mom—said unhappily, “You always have to watch the blood-and-guts shows.”
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
