tug of war
Pulling opposite directions
Tug of war is a contest where two teams grip opposite ends of a rope and pull, each trying to drag the other across a center line.
The phrase extends to any struggle between opposing forces: a tug of war between work and family, The custody battle became a tug of war over the children.
Thick twisted fibers
- teamsOrganized cooperative groups
- pullForce toward oneself
- strengthPower to exert force
- contestOrganized competitive event
match · tournament · championship · grip · anchor · heave · tension · stamina
Labored effort against resistance
- battleArmed military engagement
- clashViolent disagreement or collision
- disputeVerbal clash over differences
- disagreementAbsence of shared opinion
contention · rivalry · opposition · tension · friction · standoff · stalemate · deadlock
Pulled into pieces
- dividedSeparated into portions
- conflictedEmotionally at odds
- pulled apartForcibly separated into pieces
- loyaltiesFaithful bonds to causes
priorities · dilemma · inner conflict · ambivalence · indecision · caught between · balancing act · push and pull
rope
Thick twisted fibers
contest · match · tournament · championship · grip · anchor · heave · tension · stamina · endurance
struggle
Labored effort against resistance
- battleArmed military engagement
- clashViolent disagreement or collision
- disputeVerbal clash over differences
disagreement · contention · rivalry · opposition · tension · friction · standoff · stalemate · deadlock · confrontation
torn
Pulled into pieces
- dividedSeparated into portions
- conflictedEmotionally at odds
- pulled apartForcibly separated into pieces
loyalties · priorities · dilemma · inner conflict · ambivalence · indecision · caught between · balancing act · push and pull
- party gamescharades, musical statues, musical chairs, truth or dare, spin the bottle
- group activitiesgroup games, voting, protest, group dance, group project
- athletic competitionsmarathon, triathlon, decathlon, pentathlon, heptathlon
- athletic eventsrowing, sailing, boxing, swimming, wrestling
- British Sportsrugby, cricket, football, tennis, soccer
- camp gamescapture the flag, hide and seek, flashlight tag, freeze tag, kick the can
tug of warcooperation
Joint action toward shared aims
collaboration · teamwork · harmony · partnership · unity
tug of warindividual sport
Athletic contest for one
singles match · one-on-one · sprint · golf · singles tennis
tug of warcompromise
Agreement through mutual sacrifice
consensus · negotiation · mediation · give and take · reconciliation