at swords' points
at swords' points
Combative, quarrelsome, or belligerent. I'm not surprised that those two are arguing already—they're always at swords' points.
See also: point
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
at sword's point
Also, at swords' points. Antagonistic, hostile, as in Father and son were at swords' points. Dating from the days when swords were used to settle quarrels, the idiom today generally signifies only a bitter quarrel.
See also: point
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
at swords' points
Ready for a fight.
See also: point
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
at swords' points
Openly hostile. This term obviously refers to swordfighting, long a thing of the past, but it has not died out. Mary McCarthy used it in her novel, The Group (1963): “Mrs. Hartshorn and her dead husband had had a running battle over Wilson and the League, and now Priss and Sloan were at swords’ points over Roosevelt and socialized medicine.” A synonymous expression is at daggers drawn, first recorded in 1668 but used figuratively only from the 1800s. Robert B. Brough, Marston Lynch, His Life and Times (1870) had it: “Was Marston still at daggers drawn with his rich uncle?”
See also: point
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- at sword's point
- come to an understanding
- kiss the rod
- bad actor
- actor
- arguing for the sake of arguing
- argument
- come to an understanding with (one)
- argue for
- cross swords with (one)