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
To try to make things fair and protect people's rights
Speak or act to support fairness when it is threatened
Begin to strongly defend a person or cause in public
Antonyms
How Supportive
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.