cheval de bataille
Americannoun
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a horse used in battle; charger.
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a favorite topic of discussion, argument, etc.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
The seventh boat was the Terpsichore's gig, with its usual crew, armed; though it was used by the commanding officer himself as a sort of cheval de bataille, in the stricter meaning of the term.
From The Wing-and-Wing Le Feu-Follet by Cooper, James Fenimore
That sentence was Mary's cheval de bataille in her discussions with James, who could never be alone with her without broaching the subject.
From Dynevor Terrace: or, the clue of life — Volume 1 by Yonge, Charlotte Mary
Of course we must not attack Lane till he is made the cheval de bataille against us.
From The Life of Sir Richard Burton by Wright, Thomas
Lechmere is the one "which has been for more than half a century the grand cheval de bataille of the champions of the historic fame of Massachusetts."
From History of the Negro Race in America From 1619 to 1880. Vol 1 Negroes as Slaves, as Soldiers, and as Citizens by Williams, George Washington
Upon this cheval de bataille Sir Geoffrey Pomfret rode over all obstacles.
From The Soul of Susan Yellam by Vachell, Horace Annesley
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.
