Idioms

battle royal

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battle royal

1. A fight in which more than two participants are involved and the last person to survive is declared the winner. The men were eager to see who would be declared the wrestling champion at the end of the battle royal. I definitely didn't expect that skinny dude to be the last one standing in the battle royal! Man, I got knocked out of the battle royal early this year.
2. A heated argument. Things got pretty heated between the union and the school board at the meeting last night. It was quite the battle royal! Girls, this doesn't need to be a battle royal every Friday night. You need to come up with a better system for sharing the car. Mom and Grandma are arguing over the best way to make a turkey for Thanksgiving? Hoo boy, there's a battle royal.
See also: battle, royal
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

a battle royal

a classic, hard-fought battle or argument. The meeting turned into a battle royal and everyone left angry.
See also: battle, royal
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

battle royal

a fiercely contested fight or dispute.
1997 Fred Chappell Farewell, I'm Bound to Leave You The boys told no one about the fight…it was a battle royal and went on from two o'clock in the afternoon until sundown.
See also: battle, royal
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

battle royal

A fierce battle or free-for-all. In the seventeenth century the term signified a cockfight in which more than two birds were engaged. They would fight until there was only one survivor. By the eighteenth century the expression was a metaphor for any general fight, including a battle of wits.
See also: battle, royal
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
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References in periodicals archive
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In an incident-filled and scrappy boys-18 semi-finals, Yousif Qaed beat Ayman Jaffar in another three-set battle royal - 4-6, 6-4, 10-4.
durance vile mother superior parts unknown fee simple heir apparent bend sinister court martial heir presumptive letter s patent sergeant major knight errant prince charming lady fair attorney general battle royal It is not difficult to discover words ending in -LY which are adjectives as well as adverbs.
BEDDAU .................................16 MOUNTAIN ASH ................15 IT was a battle royal at Mount Pleasant Park as just a single point separated Beddau and Mountain Ash at the final whistle.
Chris Routledge, managing Director at car auction house COYS, in Westminster, said: There was a battle royal for this car, which went for some pounds 150,000 over its estimate."
Chris Routledge, managing director of Coys, said: "There was a battle royal for this car which went for some pounds 50,000 over its estimate."
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