stand one's ground
Meaning: To be firm in one's resolve or not to alter one's position (sentence 1); not to give up any territory (sentence 2).
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Category: Daily Life
Origin: Stick to one's guns more narrowly means to be firm in one's resolve, and could be used in sentence 1 but not in sentence 2. The expression stand one's ground suggests having one's feet firmly planted on the ground and not giving up any ground to one's adversary. It is often used to describe the behavior of a wild animal that is being threatened by its enemy.
More idioms — Daily Life
- stand out in a crowd — To be distinguishable from others in a group; distinctive.
- start something from scratch — To start from the very beginning; to start from the very first step.
- step on it — To hurry.
- stew in one's own juices — To suffer the consequences of one's own actions.
- stick to one's guns — To be firm in one's resolve or not to alter one's position.
- stonewall — To avoid answering a question directly by being deliberately vague about it, or by talkin…
More English idioms
- straight and narrow — The path of correct social or ethical behavior that society approves of.
- strange bedfellows — People or things that one does not normally expect to find together.
- strapped for cash — Not having quite enough money.
- street smarts — The knowledge one needs to live on the streets; less literally, it means knowledge of the…
- stretch the truth — To be truthful technically, but to distort the truth so that others are led to believe so…
- strike it rich — To make money (sentence 1); or, less literally, to be wildly successful (sentence 2).
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