war of words

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war of words (plural wars of words)

1. (idiomatic) A heated exchange of threatening or inflammatory statements.
   • 1891, Thomas Hardy, chapter 26, in Tess of the d'Urbervilles:

     The young man much resented this directness of attack, and in the war of words which followed when they met he did not scruple publicly to insult Mr Clare, without respect for his gray hairs.

   • 1901, Gilbert Keith Chesterton, chapter 13, in The Defendant:

     The lower classes live in a state of war, a war of words. Their readiness is the product of the same fiery individualism as the readiness of the old fighting oligarchs. Any cabman has to be ready with his tongue, as any gentleman of the last century had to be ready with his sword.

   • 2007 February 22, Virginia Heffernan, “Television: No Sex, Please, We’re Engaged”, in New York Times, retrieved 9 August 2017:

     hese two have brutal, contemptuous wars of words — the kind you might expect from divorcing 40-somethings.

   • 2022 January 12, “Network News: Further extension to Transport for London emergency funding”, in RAIL, number 948, page 8:

     In a war of words that has broken out between Khan and Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps, the Mayor was accused of sending revenue-raising proposals to Shapps some three weeks late, giving him little choice but to extend negotiations. Khan countered this by alleging that 'unfair' conditions, such as raising council tax, are being attached to any new funding deal that would "punish Londoners" for the effect the pandemic has had on passenger numbers. He added: "These short-term deals are trapping TfL on life support rather than putting it on the path to long-term sustainability."