sword

beat/turn swords into ploughshares (formal)

to stop preparing for war and to start using the money you previously spent on weapons to improve people's lives. It would have been unrealistic to expect a country like the United States to turn swords into ploughshares the moment the Cold War ended.

See also: beat, turn

cross swords with someone

to argue with someone. We don't always agree, in fact I've crossed swords with her several times at committee meetings.

See also: cross

The pen is mightier than the sword. (formal)

something that you say which means thinking and writing have more influence on people and events than the use of force or violence. Reason is our greatest weapon against such tyrants. The pen is mightier than the sword.

See also: mighty, pen

a sword of Damocles hangs over someone's head (literary, literary)

if a sword of Damocles hangs over someone, they are in a situation where something bad is likely to happen to them very soon. You live with this sword of Damocles hanging over your head, knowing that you carry the virus for a deadly disease.

See also: hang, head, over

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cross swords (with someone)

to argue with someone. The candidates crossed swords on several issues, including taxes, guns and immigration.

See also: cross