when push comes to shove en · X
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
-
(figuratively, idiomatic) When the pressure is on; when the situation is critical or urgent; when the time has come for action, even if it is difficult.
"We've demonstrated that when push comes to shove, we can be really fast, we can be agile, we can do things more slickly.
2020 May 20, Andrew Haines talks to Stefanie Foster, “Repurpose rail for the 2020s”, in Rail, page 35:He is not a particularly talented builder, but when push comes to shove, he can usually get the job done.
While most chose at that time either to disband or to join the APC rally several blocks north in McPherson Park, several hundred mostly young DC-area blacks and a sizable number of militant Palestinians continued to demand their right to confront the Klan. Push somehow came to shove and the face-off began. Several hours of street fighting followed.
1982 December 18, David France, “Protests Drive Klan Rally Out Of Washington”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 22, page 1:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| if push comes to shove | alternative | lexicographic |
Relateds
nut-cutting time · when the chips are down · when the gloves come off · in a pinch
Translations (28)
ar عندما يجدّ الجدّ (when the pressure is on) · nl als puntje bij paaltje komt (when the pressure is on) · hu ha minden kötél szakad (when the pressure is on) · fi tosipaikan tullen (when the pressure is on) · es cuando las cosas se pongan feas (when the pressure is on) · el όταν τα πράγματα φτάνουν στο απροχώρητο (when the pressure is on) · ru когда́ как сле́дует прижмёт (when the pressure is on) · pl kiedy przychodzi co do czego (when the pressure is on) · es cuando las papas queman (when the pressure is on) · id pada saat-saat genting (when the pressure is on) · sv när det kommer till kritan (when the pressure is on) · fi kun on pakko (when the pressure is on) · ja いざとなったら (when the pressure is on) · es cuando las cosas se ponen difíciles (when the pressure is on) · hu végszükség esetén (when the pressure is on) · it quando si viene al dunque (when the pressure is on) · cs když dojde na lámání chleba (when the pressure is on) · es cuando llega la hora de la verdad (when the pressure is on) · de wenn es hart auf hart kommt (when the pressure is on) · nb når det kommer til stykket (when the pressure is on) · es cuando el empuje viene a empeller (when the pressure is on) · de wenn es ernst wird (when the pressure is on) · hu ha nagyon muszáj (when the pressure is on) · es a la hora de la verdad (when the pressure is on) · ja いざとなると (when the pressure is on) · it quando il gioco si fa duro (when the pressure is on) · da når det kommer til stykket (when the pressure is on) · es cuando llegue el momento (when the pressure is on)