pit your wits against someone

pit (one's) wits against (someone or something)

To engage in a contest of intelligence with someone or something. In the show, five couples will pit their wits against each other to see who knows more pop culture trivia. The best chess player in the world is pitting his wits against a supercomputer.
See also: pit, wit
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

pit your wits against someone

BRITISH
If you pit your wits against someone, you use your intelligence to try to defeat them. I'm as ambitious as the next man. I'd like to manage a team at the very highest level and pit my wits against the best. He enjoyed pitting his wits against those of the Wall Street analysts.
See also: pit, someone, wit
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
See also:
  • pit (one's) wits against (someone or something)
  • pit your wits
  • pit your wits against
  • match wits
  • match wits (with one)
  • have one's wits about one, to
  • battle
  • battle with (someone or something)
  • scare someone out of their wits
  • smarts
References in periodicals archive
``It's always interesting to pit your wits against someone like that.