go to the mat

English

Alternative forms

• go to the mats

Etymology

A reference to wrestling.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Verb

go to the mat (third-person singular simple present goes to the mat, present participle going to the mat, simple past went to the mat, past participle gone to the mat)

1. (chiefly US, idiomatic) To continue to struggle or fight until either victorious or defeated.

   He was ready to go to the mat to keep the old color scheme.

See also

• go to the mattresses
• go to the wall

Further reading

• “go to the mat”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• List of sports idioms on Wikipedia.Wikipedia