The unions were fighting a rearguard action against the government's attempt to strip them of their powers.
(often + against)New idioms dictionary. 2014.
rearguard action — noun 1. : a defensive or delaying fight engaged in by a rear guard (as in covering the retreat of an army or the evacuation of a besieged garrison) 2. : an effort put forth by means of preventive or delaying measures or tactics and usually… … Useful english dictionary
rearguard — rear|guard [ˈrıəga:d US ˈrırga:rd] n [Date: 1400 1500; : Old French; Origin: reregarde, from rere behind (from Latin retro ) + garde guard ] 1.) fight a rearguard action a) to make a determined effort to prevent a change that you think is bad,… … Dictionary of contemporary English
rearguard — noun fight a rearguard action a) to make a determined effort to prevent a change that you think is bad, although it seems too late to stop it: A rearguard action is being fought against the sale of the land for business development. b) if an army … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
rearguard — /ˈrɪəgad/ (say reargahd) noun 1. a part of an army or military force detached from the main body to bring up and guard the rear from surprise attack, especially in a retreat. –phrase 2. fight a rearguard action, to struggle to make the best of a… …
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uniformitarianism — [yo͞on΄ə fôrm΄ə ter′ē əniz΄əm] n. the doctrine that all geologic changes may be explained by existing physical and chemical processes, as erosion, deposition, volcanic action, etc., that have operated in essentially the same way throughout… … Universalium
