berjast í bökkum

Icelandic

Etymology

From berjast (“to fight”) the reflexive form of berja (“to beat”) + í (“in, on”) + bökkum the dative plural form of bakki (“edge, bank”). Literally meaning to "fight on the banks".

Verb

berjast í bökkum

1. (idiomatic) to have a difficult struggle with something, to have a hard time