fighting words

Idioms  

1. A statement bound to start a quarrel or fight. It is often expressed as them's fighting words, as in You say your father's smarter than mine? Them's fighting words. The ungrammatical use of them's for “those are” emphasizes the folksy tone of this colloquialism, first recorded in Ring Lardner's Gullible's Travels (1917).

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Example Sentences

Those are fighting words, but they’re worth debating — especially now, as the headlines demonstrate how badly the antiwar side is doing.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 10, 2023

Well, we heard a lot of fighting words, but we didn't see a lot of soldiers.

From Salon • Jun. 16, 2023

There are exceptions for libel, incitement, obscenity and fighting words, and one for “true threats,” which is at issue in Mr. Counterman’s case.

From New York Times • Feb. 20, 2023

Those weren’t uncommon critiques, but coming from such a major figure who’d made his riches off Bitcoin, they were certainly fighting words.

From Slate • Dec. 15, 2022

They hear fighting words on the wind, when all I’m thinking is how the late-day sun reminds me of a ripe nectarine.

From "The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate