fight tooth and nail
Meaning(s)
1. to use every available tool or option to win, to fight vigorously
Popularity
High
Professional
High
Social
How to Memorize
fight tooth and nail for
Analysis
To 'fight tooth and nail' means to fight very hard for something using every possible ammunition. This idiomatic phrase is normally used in more figurative situations rather than to talk about actual physical fights. You can say that 'women fought tooth and nail for the right to vote' for example.
Social Examples (Advance)
- I fought tooth and nail for that promotion and succeeded.
- My lawyer fought tooth and nail to get me everything I wanted in the contract.
Professional Examples (Advance)
- Our union are fighting tooth and nail to get us the compensation we deserve with this kind of labour.
- We need to fight tooth and nail to retain every single customer and bring in new ones if we want to keep going.