hill to die on

English

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.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

hill to die on (plural hills to die on)

1. (idiomatic) An issue to pursue with wholehearted conviction and/or single-minded focus, with little or no regard to the cost and no intent of equivocation or compromise.
   • 2006, Cate Dermody, The Firebird Deception, Silhouette Books, published 2006, →ISBN, page 113:

     "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. […]

   • 2009, Kevin Leman, Under the Sheets: The Secrets to Hot Sex in Your Marriage, Revell, published 2009, →ISBN, page 179:

     Is correct laundry folding really 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:

     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.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:hill to die on.

Usage notes

Often but not always used in the negative or interrogative, as in “I strongly disagree with their decision, but it’s not a hill I’m willing to die on”, or as a question such as “If you do this, many people will get angry (at you). Do you really want to die on that hill?”.

Can be used to express your opinions over-dramatically: "Donald Glover is the best SNL host, and that is a hill I will die on."

See also

• pick your battles