to strike a blow for justice
- idiom
- She struck a blow for justice by advocating for the rights of the oppressed.
Examples
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The activists hoped to strike a blow for justice with their peaceful demonstration.
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She felt her testimony in court would strike a blow for justice and help others.
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By passing the new law, the government struck a blow for justice.
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The activists strike a blow for justice every time they protest.
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The activists hoped to strike a blow for justice with their peaceful demonstration.
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By passing the new law, the government struck a blow for justice.
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She felt her testimony in court would strike a blow for justice and help others.
Synonyms
6
3.7
To try to make things fair and protect people's rights
1
3.7
Speak or act to support fairness when it is threatened
Begin to strongly defend a person or cause in public
Antonyms
How Supportive
161
2.8
344
3.9
256
2.7
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
strike + a + blow + for + justice
The components 'strike' + 'blow' convey a forceful action and 'for' indicates support, so the overall meaning 'take action in support of justice' is a metaphorical extension of a literal physical strike. Because this is a figurative use that is partially predictable from the parts but requires recognizing the metaphorical transfer, it is likely understandable in general but not fully transparent to a B1 learner without some exposure.
Etymology
Strike a blow for justice comes from the picture of a fight: to strike is to hit and a blow is a strong hit. So when someone 'strikes a blow for justice' they do an action that helps or defends justice.