Cross swords

I do not relish crossing swords with Pike's hook.

You say that you do not see how you and I have crossed swords with the priests.

I must cross swords with the author of the article on the Mountain Railways of the Bernese Oberland, on two points.

Loring Pickering and George K. Fitch, the owners of these newspapers, had as early as 1870 crossed swords with the local typographical union, and had been defeated in a strike when they had attempted a reduction in wages.

Crossing swords with oligarchs is one problem. An equally tough problem is crossing swords with the straight political elites, particularly the power ministries.