Смысл: battle

battleI
1. [ʹbætl] n
<Í> 1. битва; сражение
battle alarm - боевая тревога
battle area - поле боя
battle casualties - потери в бою
battle scene - батальная сцена
drawn battle - бой с неопределённым исходом
Battle of Britain - ист. «битва за Англию» (воздушные бои в 1940-41 гг.)
line of battle - а) линия фронта; б) боевой порядок /строй/
killed in battle - погиб в бою /на фронте/
to fight a battle - сражаться, вести бой
to offer battle - предлагать /навязывать/ бой
to give battle - давать бой /сражение/
to join battle - вступать в бой
to refuse battle - отказаться /уклониться/ от боя
2. борьба
losing battle - безнадёжная борьба, верное поражение; обречённая на провал деятельность
the battle of life - борьба за существование
the battle of the books - ирон. учёная дискуссия
a battle of wits - битва умов, состязание в остроумии
to fight one's battle - бороться за свои убеждения или интересы
to do battle with /over/ smth. - бороться с чем-л.
3. единоборство, поединок; схватка
trial by battle - ист. ордалия, судебный поединок (одержавший победу считался оправданным)
4. ист. войско, воинство
♢ half the battle - залог успеха
to be above the battle - стоять в стороне /над схваткой/, занимать беспристрастную /объективную/ позицию
to fight smb.'s battles for him - лезть в драку за кого-л.
the battle is to the strong - побеждает сильнейший

2. [ʹbætl] v
<Í> 1. сражаться, драться, бороться
to battle through life - пробивать дорогу в жизни
to battle against the wind - бороться с ветром, идти против ветра
to battle with adversity - бороться с превратностями судьбы
to battle for the title of champion - оспаривать звание чемпиона
2. воен. строить в боевой порядок

II
1. [ʹbætl] a диал.
<Í> 1. сочный, питательный (о травах)
2. тучный, плодородный (о земле)

2. [ʹbætl] v
<Í> 1) откармливать (скот)
2) удобрять (почву)

battle Идиома

battleaxe

cranky woman, a bitch Marlene - that old battleaxe - is spreading lies about me.

half the battle

a large part of the work Sending the letters out will be half the battle. We can finish the rest of the work next week.

how goes the battle

are you winning the battle of life? are you okay? """How goes the battle?"" Jo asked. ""I win and I lose,"" Pat replied."

uphill battle

difficult work, rough going, tough sledding We've asked the government to protect children's rights, but it's an uphill battle all the way.

battle

to compete, usually freestyle rapping, sometimes breakdancing or graffiti:"You want to rap and you got no battle, it's like havin' a boat and you got no paddle" -- Public Enemy (??? [1987])

battle sth out

Idiom(s): battle sth out

Theme: ARGUMENT

to argue something to a conclusion; to fight something to a conclusion.
• The Senate and the House disagree on the bill, so they will have to battle a compromise out.
• The two young toughs went into the alley to battle out their disagreement.

Battle of nerves

A battle of nerves is a situation where neither side in a conflict or dispute is willing to back down and is waiting for the other side to weaken. ('A war of nerves' is an alternative form.)

Fight an uphill battle

When you fight an uphill battle, you have to struggle against very unfavourable circumstances.

battle of nerves|battle|nerves

n. phr. A contest of wills during which the parties do not fight physically but try to wear each other out. It has been a regular battle of nerves to get the new program accepted at the local state university. See: WAR OF NERVES.

half the battle|battle|half

n.phr. A large part of the work. When you write an essay for class, making the outline is half the battle. To see your faults and decide to change is half the battle of self-improvement.

losing battle, a

losing battle, a
Also, a losing game. A failing effort or activity. For example, He's fighting a losing battle against putting on weight, or We think his candidacy is a losing game. These expressions, alluding to actual unsuccessful battles or games, have been used figuratively since the early 1600s. Also see lost cause.

pitched battle, a

pitched battle, a
An intense conflict, as in Their disagreement turned into a pitched battle between the nurses and the physicians' assistants. This term, dating from about 1600, originally alluded to a military battle in which the array of forces and battleground are predetermined (as opposed to a hasty skirmish).