on opposite sides of the barricades
English edit
Etymology edit
The idiom has been in use for at least a century [1] [2]. It probably derives from a literal observation of political protests, where government buildings were insulated with barricades, and the government was said to not represent the people because they and the people were on opposite sides of the barricades.
Pronunciation edit
Audio (AU) (file)
Prepositional phrase edit
on opposite sides of the barricades