battle royal

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a 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.

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!

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.

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

References in periodicals archive ?

The biggest surprise at this year's Royal Rumble might not have anything to do with the men's battle royal.

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Rawley was the fourth man to win the annual battle royal, following the footsteps of Cesaro, The Big Show, and Baron Corbin.

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With just two points separating them on the ERC leaderboard, we can expect a battle royal between these two over the coming stages.

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The gulf between Stark and Rogers forces the remaining Avengers to take sides and a battle royal commences.

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More than half of Colorado's voters cast ballots, likely due to the battle royal over a U.

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TEESSIDE'S reigning X Factor champion James Arthur is locked in a battle royal to secure his second number one single.

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Named Battle Royal, there will be action-packed displays culminating with two gala concerts tomorrow and Sunday night.

Let battle commence... family day out The unlikely mix of Roundheads and rock music will end with a right royal battle this weekend at Cardiff Castle, as CATHY OWEN discovers

It was a battle royal but McKray just had the edge.

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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.

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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

Deferential adjectives and persistent adjectives

15 IT was a battle royal at Mount Pleasant Park as just a single point separated Beddau and Mountain Ash at the final whistle.

Pimlow has a point to prove

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.

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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.

Harrison's Aston Martin clocks up pounds 310K

Now they are both tied on three wins apiece, Whitmarsh is expecting a battle royal at Interlagos in Sao Paulo when the curtain finally comes down on the Formula One campaign.