take up the hatchet

English

Etymology

Referring to Native Americans' use of the tomahawk.

Verb

take up the hatchet (third-person singular simple present takes up the hatchet, present participle taking up the hatchet, simple past took up the hatchet, past participle taken up the hatchet)

1. (idiomatic, archaic) To declare war or go to war.

   Antonym: bury the hatchet

Translations

to make or declare war

• Finnish: tarttua sotakirveeseeen
• French: déterrer la hache de guerre (fr)
• Hungarian: kiássa a csatabárdot

References

• “hatchet”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.