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.
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
Once that I had mastered their difficulties, the piece became my cheval de bataille, and whenever I performed it, accompanied by one of the two composers, I invariably made a....
From Fragments of an Autobiography by Moscheles, Felix
It was this conviction that led me to make Mariner my cheval de bataille in "Evolution of Theology."
From Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley — Volume 2 by Huxley, Thomas Henry
I doubt if Homer will be a cheval de bataille sufficiently strong to carry you safely through the intricacies of this enterprise.'
From The Life of William Ewart Gladstone, Vol. 1 (of 3) 1809-1859 by Morley, John
Why, I unfortunately told Fernan Brown one story—-about their mocking old Miss Bruce with putting on imitation spectacles-—and it has served him for a cheval de bataille ever since!
From The Long Vacation by Yonge, Charlotte Mary
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.
