Phrases.com »

Phrases related to: win the battle, but lose the war

Yee yee! We've found 796 phrases and idioms matching win the battle, but lose the war.

Sort:RelevancyA - Z
"never mind your mother sonny.... eat your bleedin' orange"I worked with a man from Foulridge, Lancashire for over 35 years who often used this phrase whenever there was a problem and he wasn't sure of the answer!.. Said the phrase came from a "chap I used to work with in Colne... but he didn't know what it meant either"Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
"life is a mathematical complex that you gain or lose with your actions."LifeRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
800-pound gorillaSomething dangerous, menacing, or spooky that is obvious but not addressed.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
800-pound gorillaSomething dangerous, menacing, or frightening that is obvious but not addressed.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
a bad workman always blames his toolsIt is not the tools we use which make us good, but rather how we employ them.Rate it:

(4.38 / 8 votes)
a bird in the hand is worth two in the bushIt is preferable to have a small but certain advantage than a mere potential of a greater one.Rate it:

(4.00 / 8 votes)
a bird may love a fish, but where will they build their home?It's too hard to make a relationship work when two people are so vastly different. Similar variations end by saying "...where will they build their nest?" and "...where will they build their home together?"Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
a blessing and a curseSomething that is both a benefit and a burden, or that may seem initially beneficial but also brings unforeseen negative consequencesRate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
a carpet-baggerA candidate for election who has no roots or interest in the constituency he wishes to represent. The original meaning was a Unionist financier or adventurer who exploited the cheap labour in the American South after the Civil War. The carpet bags carried by these adventurers were made of carpet material.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
a hail maryLast ditch effort to accomplish something; ie: A simple Hail Mary was thrown to win the football game.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
a house is not a homeA home is not merely a building but requires inhabitants and a friendly atmosphere.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
à moitié fait qui commence bienWell begun is half done; A good beginning is half the battle.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
a pig might have a long tale but its tail is always short!A hypocrite always keeps giving excuses & making stories, but his/her supporter & power base are always short! So, if anyone earnestly try to get rid of that hypocrite's tyranny and torcher, that is very much feasible as history supports that hypocrites never win!Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
a pyrrhic victoryAn apparent victory, but one which is no victory at all, due to the great cost incurred. The phrase comes from the victory won by King Pyrrhus at Asculum in 279BC which cost him many of his best men. After the battle Pyrrhus remarked: "One more such victory and we are finished."Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
a smoke screenEarly sea battles demonstrated the value of gun smoke and smoke from burning ships to hide one battleship from one belonging to the enemy. Later, smoke was generated prior to commencing battle so as to make it more difficult for gun crews to spot the targeted vessel. This tactic became known as a smoke screen.Rate it:

(4.17 / 6 votes)
accidentally on purposeSeemingly unintentionally but actually deliberatelyRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
acie (armis, ferro) decernereto fight a pitched battle.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
aciem (copias, exercitum) instruere or in acie constituereto draw up forces in battle-order.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
aciem explicare or dilatareto extend the line of battle, deploy the battalions.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
acies inclīnat or inclīnatur (Liv. 7. 33)the line of battle gives way.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
acknowledge the cornTo cop a plea; to admit to a small error but not a larger one.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
acquired tasteSomething that is appreciated only after having initially been regarded as unappealing or unpleasant; a person who is regarded as difficult or dislikable but of whom at least some have grown to approve.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
acquired tasteA taste which is not natural or innate, but which has developed through habit or learning.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
actors more & stages fewA situation where more are in demand but lacking enough provisions or when right options are scanty or less.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
after allIn the end; anyway; referring to something that was believed to be the case, but has now been shown not to be.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
agmine quadrato incedere, ireto march with closed ranks, in order of battle.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
agreement in principleA legally enforceable, but incompletely specified, agreement between parties that identifies the fundamental terms that are intended to be or are agreed upon.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
alarums and excursionsAll the sounds and activities of preparations for war.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
aliquem ad suam sententiam perducere or in suam sententiam adducereto win a man over to one's own way of thinking.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
aliquem sub corona vendere (B. G. 3. 16)to sell a prisoner of war as a slave.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
all bark and no biteFull of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
all butnearly; except thatRate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
all butnearlyRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
all hat and no cattleFull of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
all hat, no cattleDresses like a cowboy, but isn't really a cowboy; a "drugstore cowboy"Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
all mouth and no trousersSuperficial, engaging in empty, boastful talk, but not of real substance.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
all mouth and trousersSuperficial, engaging in empty, boastful talk, but not of real substance.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
all over but the shoutingThe substance of the contest is complete, leaving only the cheering.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
all talk and no actionSpeaking, promising, or boasting much, but doing littleRate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
All that Glitters is Not GoldA thing or a person that seems attractive at very first glance but actually worth nothingRate it:

(1.00 / 2 votes)
all well and goodBasically good, but with some shortcoming or limitation.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
all's fair in love and warunpleasant behavior is acceptable during love and conflict.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
aluminum showerAn event at which people give household items made of aluminum to the war effort.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
amber gamblerA driver of a road vehicle who accelerates when the traffic lights change from green to amber (instead of stopping, as required by law), gambling that no vehicle will cross his or her path; a driver who starts off when the traffic lights show red and amber together, but not yet green.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
ancipiti Marte pugnaturthe issue of the battle is undecided.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
and changeAnd some quantity, but less than the increment to the next round number.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
and don't play one on TVA term often used after a person claims to have no expertise in a topic of discussion, but still wants to contribute a comment.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
and your little dog tooA statement that not only will the person being addressed be punished but their conspirators will also.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
animo cadere, deficereto lose courage; to despair.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
animo, cogitatione aliquid fingere (or simply fingere, but without sibi), informareto form an idea of a thing, imagine, conceive.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)

We need you!

Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

Alternative searches for win the battle, but lose the war:

Quiz

Are you a phrases master?

»
She is as graceful as a _____.
A flight
B lion
C dancer
D swan

Browse Phrases.com

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ