battling Goliath
- idiom
- Informal
:
luchar contra un gigante
- For a small startup, competing with tech giants is like battling Goliath.
Examples
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When she took on the national champion, she knew she was battling Goliath.
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The community group is battling Goliath as it challenges the government’s decision.
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The small startup is battling Goliath in the tech industry.
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Are you ready for battling Goliath in the upcoming tournament?
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For a small startup, competing with tech giants is like battling Goliath.
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When she took on the national champion, she knew she was battling Goliath.
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The community group is battling Goliath as it challenges the government’s decision.
Synonyms
To take on a much more powerful person or group
How Difficult
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'facing a seemingly unbeatable opponent' is directly derivable from combining 'battle' (to fight/struggle) with 'Goliath' (a conventional metaphor for an overwhelmingly powerful adversary). The David-and-Goliath reference is widely known cross-linguistically and the verb + proper-name composition follows a regular compositional pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand the MWE.
Etymology
Battling Goliath comes from the Bible story of David, a small shepherd who fights the giant Goliath. That clear picture of a small person fighting a huge enemy is why the phrase means 'facing a much bigger, stronger opponent'.