🗓️ Idiom: At Loggerheads (adj)
💬 Meaning
- To be in strong disagreement with someone.
- To be in a serious conflict where neither side wants to back down.
🧠 Example Sentences
- The sales and finance teams are at loggerheads over how to price the new service.
- She has been at loggerheads with her supervisor about the changes to her schedule.
- The company is at loggerheads with a major client over contract terms.
🏛️ Origin
The idiom goes back to the 1600s. A “loggerhead” was a tool or long iron rod used for heating or mixing. When two people fought, it was said they were clashing like two loggerheads being struck together. Over time it became a figurative way to describe people in strong disagreement.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
The project leads are ________ about which direction the team should take.
Answer
at loggerheads
2. Choose the correct answer:
If two colleagues are “at loggerheads,” they:
a) Work extremely well together
b) Have a serious disagreement
c) Never speak to each other
Answer
b) Have a serious disagreement
3. Change the sentence using “at loggerheads”:
“The managers cannot agree on the new holiday policy.”
Answer
The managers are at loggerheads over the new holiday policy.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
📚 Learning Resources
👉 Conflict and Conflict Resolution Idioms
👉 Business English Idioms List
👥 Support Spaces
👉 Student Space
👉 Tutor Toolkit
⭐️ Extras
📫 Get a Daily Idiom
🚀 Build a Business with AI
Leave a Reply