bloody but unbowed
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bloody but unbowed
Still willing to continue despite stress or setbacks. The troops emerged from the brutal battle bloody but unbowed. We were bloody but unbowed after the board rejected our first proposal—we just resolved to make a better pitch next time.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
bloody but unbowed
Fig. showing signs of a struggle, but not defeated. (Originally referring to the head. From the poem Invictus by William Earnest Henley.) Liz emerged from the struggle, her head bloody but unbowed. We are bloody but unbowed and will fight to the last.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
bloody (or bloodied) but unbowed
proud of what you have achieved despite having suffered great difficulties or losses.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
bloody but unbowed
Wounded or scarred, but not defeated. The term, expressing fierce defiance, comes from the Victorian poet William Ernest Henley’s most famous work, “Invictus:” “Under the bludgeonings of chance my head is bloody, but unbowed.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer