Dictionary

hill to die on en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

An allusion to the instances where a military doggedly pursues a goal or defends a position no matter the cost or (lack of) benefit, typically involving a hill (high ground). Examples include Battle of Hamburger Hill, Battle of Thermopylae, and Last Stand Hill.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic) An issue to pursue with a wholehearted conviction or a single-minded focus, with little or no regard to the cost and no intent of equivocation or compromise.
   • Is correct laundry folding really a hill to die on? 2009, Kevin Leman, Under the Sheets: The Secrets to Hot Sex in Your Marriage, Revell, published 2009, →ISBN, page 179:
   • Though I simply apologized and told him his ranting wasn't necessary. He made a bad decision. I made a good one. As livid as I was, I realized this situation was not a hill to die on. 2010, Deborah Smith Pegues, Ricky Temple, Why Smart People Make Dumb Choices, Harvest House Publishers, published 2010, →ISBN, page 49:
   • "I'm sorry, Alisha. I can't overrule the European director's decision to move you out of her arena. This isn't a hill to die on. […] 2006, Cate Dermody, The Firebird Deception, Silhouette Books, published 2006, →ISBN, page 113:

Forms

Relateds

pick your battles

wikipedia: Battle of Little Big Horn · wikipedia: Battle of Thermopylae · wikipedia: Battle of Hamburger Hill