uphill battle

Quote

1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.

Definition

1. Definition - Study the definition.

something very challenging; fighting to reach a goal

2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.

Something that is very difficult is often described as an uphill battle. If your marriage has been unhappy or unfulfilling for many years, you can say, “Our marriage has been an uphill battle for a long time.” You can also use the expression to describe the difficulty in changing someone’s behavior, as in, “I’ve been trying to get Mike to start doing his chores, but it’s been an uphill battle.”

A few years ago, Natalie Maines criticized President Bush during a concert. She stood on stage and shared her political opinions with the audience. Many people disagreed with her opinions. In the quote above, Natalie Maines is saying that being open about her political opinions and beliefs is an uphill battle because people are always challenging or criticizing her.

Examples

1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.

“It was an uphill battle to get him to admit he was wrong.”

“Arguing against the President is an uphill battle.”

“Trying to win an argument against my mom is always an uphill battle.”