measure swords

measure swords

1. To engage in a sword duel against another person. I was a very skilled swordsman in my youth—I measured swords many times and lived to tell the tale.
2. To fight someone or something. Can you two stop measuring swords against each other? I'm sick of having to break up fights between you! I don't think you'll win if you try to measure swords with the big pharmaceutical company.
3. To get a sense of one's abilities in a particular area. After measuring swords with him this morning, I'm confident that I can beat him in the race—I know he's not as fast as I am!
See also: measure, sword
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • thrust and parry
  • cross swords with (one)
  • cross swords
  • make good as
  • make good as (something)
  • he who lives by the sword dies by the sword
  • he who lives by the sword, dies by the sword
  • fire (one's) pistol in the air
  • pistol
  • Those who can, do; those who can't, teach
References in classic literature
Perhaps the president of a corps notices that one of the membership who is no longer an exempt--that is a freshman-- has remained a sophomore some little time without volunteering to fight; some day, the president, instead of calling for volunteers, will APPOINT this sophomore to measure swords with a student of another corps; he is free to decline--everybody says so--there is no compulsion.
Tramp Abroad
"To-night, dear child," he said, "I shall find out at the Opera what journalists are conspiring for Baudoyer, and we will measure swords together."
Bureaucracy
THE Jawaharlal Nehru University ( JNU) is not just a battlefield of contending ideologies to measure swords, rather the varsity is readying to lead a green revolution as it plans to set up a solar power plant to feed its crucial science labs that run 24x7 and where critical experiments which are carried out incessantly cannot afford any power outages.
JNU plans to lead green revolution in the Capital
Still Alexander's departure from the Panjab (Indus Basin) was far from peace and tranquility as floating further downward he had to measure swords with comparatively small tribal groups namely
During his stay at Taxila as a royal quest of the raja Ambhi Alexander remained busy in receiving emissaries from neighbouring rajas as well as reorganizing his forces and preparations to measure sword with one of the most stubborn foes ever faced in the Indus region.
First Europeans in Ancient Pakistan and their impact on its society
In a royal battle, Pride and Evil are not able to measure swords with Wisdom and Renunciation.
THOUGHT for the DAY
In a royal battle,pride and evil are not able to measure swords with wisdom and renunciation.
Thought for the day