to pick one's battles
5
5.8
- idiom
- Informal
:
elegir tus batallas
- In any relationship, it's important to pick your battles so you don't end up arguing over every little thing.
- learn to pick your battles
- got to pick your battles
- pick your battles, he says
Examples
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Being an easy-going guy, you have the potential to know how to pick your battles and let unimportant stuff go.
Blog text (22) -
Got to pick your battles!
Blog text (27) -
You have to learn to pick your battles.
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You got to pick your battles a little better, you know?
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Got to pick your battles, but this is one I would choose not to fight.
Blog text (12) -
You definitely have to pick your battles, but missing the boat on a few things is just how it goes.
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You may pick your battles knowing that you are not alone.
Blog text (13) -
All I'm saying is pick your battles.
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You're definitely right, you gotta pick your battles, because some stuff is just not worth it!
Blog text (24) -
I believe the phrase is "pick your battles," and this exercise in calm perspective keeps our battles pretty much non-existent.
Blog text (1)
Synonyms
5
4.2
To decide what is most important to do
4
6.9
Avoid talking about old problems to prevent more arguments
How Selective
- Informal
5
5.8
405
2.8
607
1.1
35
2.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase directly combines 'pick' (choose) with 'battles' (fights), so a learner can plausibly infer the sense 'choose which fights to engage in.' However, 'battles' is being used metaphorically for problems or conflicts rather than literal warfare, so understanding the idiomatic application requires some figurative transfer and prior exposure in some contexts.
Etymology
Pick one's battles comes from the image of an army leader who must choose which fights to join because he cannot fight every fight, so he picks only the most important battles. That's why the phrase means 'decide which problems are worth dealing with'.