watch the fur fly

English

Etymology

From the way fur is torn from fighting animals.

Verb

watch the fur fly (third-person singular simple present watches the fur fly, present participle watching the fur fly, simple past and past participle watched the fur fly)

1. To allow a vicious fight or altercation to result from something or observe such a fight or altercation.

Usage notes

There are many variants of this phrasal verb, including watch some fur fly, see the fur fly, see some fur fly, let the fur fly, etc.

Related terms

• make the fur fly
• watch the feathers fly