definitions

fight tooth and nail

Engage in vigorous combat or make a strenuous effort, using all one's resources. For example, I'm going to fight tooth and nail for that promotion. This expression, with its allusion to biting and scratching, was first recorded in 1576.

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Nearby words

fight fire with fire, fight it out, fight off, fight or flight reaction, fight shy of, fight tooth and nail, fight-or-flight, fight-or-flight reaction, fight-or-flight response, fighter, fighter-bomber
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.