cross swords

English

WOTD – 8 April 2012

Pronunciation

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Verb

cross swords (third-person singular simple present crosses swords, present participle crossing swords, simple past and past participle crossed swords)

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see cross,‎ sword., to place or hold two swords so they cross each other.
2. To fight with someone; to duel.
   • 1966 September 24, Brian Hayles, “The Smugglers, episode 3” (15:39 from the start), in Doctor Who, season 4, episode 3, spoken by The Squire (Paul Whitsun-Jones), via BBC:

     I do not relish crossing swords with Pike's hook.

3. (idiomatic) To quarrel or argue with someone; to have a dispute with someone.
   • 1902, Richard Bagot, Donna Diana‎^[1], published 2008, →ISBN, page 240:

     You say that you do not see how you and I have crossed swords with the priests.

   • 1961 February, “Letters to the Editor: Swiss railways”, in Trains Illustrated, page 126:

     I must cross swords with the author of the article on the Mountain Railways of the Bernese Oberland, on two points.

   • 1974, Ira Brown Cross, “The Knights of Labor”, in A history of the labor movement in California‎^[2], →ISBN, page 179:

     Loring Pickering and George K. Fitch, the owners of these newspapers, had as early as 1870 crossed swords with the local typographical union, and had been defeated in a strike when they had attempted a reduction in wages.

   • 2002, Ukraine's Quest Roundtable Steering Committee, “Ukraine and Human Rights”, in Ukraine's Quest for Mature Nation Statehood - A roundtable‎^[3], →ISBN, First Session, page 25:

     Crossing swords with oligarchs is one problem. An equally tough problem is crossing swords with the straight political elites, particularly the power ministries.

4. (idiomatic, vulgar) For males, to urinate simultaneously such that the streams intersect.

Synonyms

• (to have a dispute with someone): lock horns

Translations

used other than as an idiom

• Estonian: mõõku ristama
• Finnish: ristiä miekat

to fight with someone — see duel

idiomatic: to have a dispute with someone

• Dutch: de degens kruisen
• Finnish: mennä sukset ristiin jonkun kanssa
• French: croiser le fer (fr), se prendre de bec (fr)
• German: die Klingen kreuzen
• Polish: kłócić się impf
• Spanish: entrar en liza
• Ukrainian: схре́щувати мечі́ impf (sxréščuvaty mečí), схрести́ти мечі́ pf (sxrestýty mečí), схре́щувати списи́ impf (sxréščuvaty spysý), схрести́ти списи́ pf (sxrestýty spysý)

idiomatic, vulgar: to urinate such that the streams intersect

• Finnish: kusta ristiin
• Icelandic: pissa í kross
• Swedish: kissa i kors