old battle-axe

(old) battle-ax(e)

A strong-willed, argumentative woman, typically older in age, who is considered overbearing or domineering. My grandmother was always the matriarch of the entire family, an old battle-axe who answered to no one but God. I gained a reputation of being a bit of a battle ax in the office because of how outspoken and unbending I am about certain issues.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

old battle-axe

a bossy old woman. She is such an old battle-axe. I'll bet she's hell to live with.
See also: old
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • battle-ax
  • (old) battle-ax(e)
  • with a high hand
  • toughen up
  • be a man
  • pussy whip
  • pussy whipped
  • pussywhipped
  • pussy-whipped
  • a/the softly-softly approach
References in periodicals archive
Although famous racing commentator Sir Peter O'Sullevan once joked that she was "a real old battle-axe", Mrs Topham was a formidable but in private very funny woman who was respected and admired in a male-dominated world.
Mirabel Topham was the original lady of Aintree
and landed his character with a wife who is a bit of an old battle-axe.
New battle-axe on the square; Timothy gets his way as Enders oldies go to war
AS Oscar Wilde's old battle-axe Lady Bracknell might have opined: 'To lose two strikers might be regarded as unfortunate, to lose three looks like carelessness.' But that is exactly what happened to Cardiff City at Hull and it finally proved a bridge too far for manager Malky Mackay and his men.
Fledgling Bluebird Ralls earns stripes at Tigers as injury curse strikes again; THE CHAMPIONSHIP
But then again, the grim old battle-axe had an excuse - she's just managed to get someone to marry her.
Bride and grim; EastEnders PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: Pauline cracks a smile
"Frank - I'm 62," replied the old battle-axe, "I'm nobody's babe."
Kevin O'Sullivan: TO BE FRANK.. IT'S PAT-THETIC
The old battle-axe is apparently a diehard fan of Huddersfield, who look good for a quick return to the Second Division.
Football: The Battyful game; FROM A-LIST TO D-LIST, EVERY CELEBRITY SEEMS TO SUPPORT A TEAM THESE DAYS SO WE SORT OUT THE DIEHARDS FROM THE DUMMIES
So, to quote that old battle-axe Maggie Thatcher, let's rejoice in that.
Winds of change leave Lara and Co on ropes
Hugh Morton-Jones, without whom this column would be much the poorer, refers me to Ian Parri's informative and educational article on Warrior Queen Boudica (February 7) in which is described the old battle-axe's confrontation with the army of Paulinus.
Remember those cries of 'any old Italian?' TRUST THE POST
"I would still love to play a blind old battle-axe in a wheelchair in a TV sitcom."
I am blind says actress Peggy Mount
And he did so to produce a tear-stained script in which the elderly 'old battle-axe' (her description, not mine) bemoaned the fact that everything she had ever loved in her life had been taken away from her, while also raising several smiles with the summoning up of the spirit of much-missed best pal Ethel.
Last Night's: TVwith Andrew Greenhalgh; EastEnders (BBC1)
ONE of the most touching scenes in soap for a long time had to be old battle-axe Edna's last minutes with her beloved Batley.
It's pure misery on Merseyside
Mr Major has many sup-porters for his outburst at the interfering old battle-axe - but there are dark plots by his opponents to rubbish his memoirs when they helpfully appear at the time of the Tory conference.
Politically Incorrect: Chris Buckland's column
Yes, the old battle-axe has been irritating her son so much that when she genuinely needs help, he reckons it's another of her scams just to get him away from Emily.
Old battleaxe cries wolf once too often; Soap watch: Emmerdale
It seems that Mrs P was a bit of an old battle-axe who hated golf with a passion.
Girls' own Tour de Force
For 27 years, the old battle-axe had fought off Compo's amorous advances in the longest case of unrequited love in TV history.
Nora: I DID kiss Compo; CO-STAR KATHY TELLS HOW SHOW'S 27-YEAR WAIT ENDED AS BILL WAS DYING