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when push comes to shove. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
when push comes to shove, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
when push comes to shove in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Pronunciation
Phrase
when push comes to shove
- (figuratively, idiomatic) When the pressure is on; when the situation is critical or urgent; when the time has come for action, even if it is difficult.
He is not a particularly talented builder, but when push comes to shove, he can usually get the job done.
1982 December 18, David France, “Protests Drive Klan Rally Out Of Washington”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 22, page 1:While most chose at that time either to disband or to join the APC rally several blocks north in McPherson Park, several hundred mostly young DC-area blacks and a sizable number of militant Palestinians continued to demand their right to confront the Klan. Push somehow came to shove and the face-off began. Several hours of street fighting followed.
2020 May 20, Andrew Haines talks to Stefanie Foster, “Repurpose rail for the 2020s”, in Rail, page 35:"We've demonstrated that when push comes to shove, we can be really fast, we can be agile, we can do things more slickly.
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