hill to die on

English

Etymology

An allusion to the military practice of capturing/holding a hill (high ground), no matter the cost or (lack of) benefit, as in the Battle of Hamburger Hill or Last Stand Hill.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

hill to die on (plural hills to die on)

1. (idiomatic) An issue to pursue with wholehearted conviction and/or single-minded focus, with little or no regard to the cost.
   • 2006, Cate Dermody, The Firebird Deception, Silhouette Books, published 2006, →ISBN, page 113:

     "I'm sorry, Alisha. I can't overrule the European director's decision to move you out of her arena. This isn't a hill to die on. […]

   • 2009, Kevin Leman, Under the Sheets: The Secrets to Hot Sex in Your Marriage, Revell, published 2009, →ISBN, page 179:

     Is correct laundry folding really a hill to die on?

   • 2010, Deborah Smith Pegues, Ricky Temple, Why Smart People Make Dumb Choices, Harvest House Publishers, published 2010, →ISBN, page 49:

     Though I simply apologized and told him his ranting wasn't necessary. He made a bad decision. I made a good one. As livid as I was, I realized this situation was not a hill to die on.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:hill to die on.

Usage notes

Usually used in the negative, as in “I strongly disagree with their decision, but it’s not a hill I’m willing to die on”, or as a question such as “If you do this, many people will get angry (at you). Do you really want to die on that hill?”.

See also

• pick your battles