Question:easy

Choose the word or phrase that is equivalent in meaning to the given phrase:

Fight tooth and nail

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"Tooth and nail" is figurative for intensity. Which option describes the effort rather than literal biting?
Updated On: Jul 21, 2026
  • bite and scratch your enemy
  • make a determined effort
  • inflict equal damage
  • pull out enemy's teeth and nails
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

When someone fights tooth and nail, they battle with total commitment, throwing all their effort and resolve into the struggle. The teeth and nails simply stand for using every possible means; the phrase describes how hard a person tries, not a physical clawing.

  • make a determined effort is correct because it matches the sense of striving with maximum energy and persistence.
  • bite and scratch your enemy is wrong; it reads the idiom word for word rather than as an expression of determination.
  • inflict equal damage is wrong because the phrase says nothing about damage being equal on both sides.
  • pull out enemy's teeth and nails is wrong as it describes a literal act that has no link to the real meaning.

The answer is therefore make a determined effort, option b.

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