push comes to shove, if

Idioms  

1. Also, when push comes to shove. When matters must be confronted, when a crucial point is reached, as in If push comes to shove, the Federal Reserve Board will lower the interest rate, or They supposedly support equality, but when push comes to shove they always seem to promote a man instead of a woman. This term comes from rugby, where, after an infraction of rules, forwards from each team face off and push against one another until one player can kick the ball to a teammate and resume the game. Its figurative use dates from the 1950s. Also see the synonym if worst comes to worst.

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Example Sentences

He often can’t shake the feeling of being constantly on call, his livelihood perpetually on the line, a burning question in the back of his mind: “When push comes to shove, if I ever got trudged through a court case, how many people will truly have my back?”

From Salon

“When push comes to shove, if there is no consensus to be built, she’s not shy to make a tough decision,” Lash said.

From Los Angeles Times

“If push comes to shove, if it doesn’t get changed, I’ll vote for the $1.9” trillion, he said.

From New York Times

"I'm selling so many more mandarins than navels it's unbelievable. A navel is a great piece of fruit, but if push comes to shove, if I have to take out something, it would probably be navels."

From Los Angeles Times

"But when push comes to shove, if they get squeezed … they will have no other choice than to look at the expense side of the business."

From Los Angeles Times