when push comes to shove

English

Pronunciation

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Phrase

when push comes to shove

1. (figuratively, idiomatic) When the pressure is on; when the situation is critical or urgent; when the time has come for action, even if it is difficult.

   He is not a particularly talented builder, but when push comes to shove, he can usually get the job done.

   • 1982 December 18, David France, “Protests Drive Klan Rally Out Of Washington”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 22, page 1:

     While most chose at that time either to disband or to join the APC rally several blocks north in McPherson Park, several hundred mostly young DC-area blacks and a sizable number of militant Palestinians continued to demand their right to confront the Klan. Push somehow came to shove and the face-off began. Several hours of street fighting followed.

   • 2020 May 20, Andrew Haines talks to Stefanie Foster, “Repurpose rail for the 2020s”, in Rail, page 35:

     "We've demonstrated that when push comes to shove, we can be really fast, we can be agile, we can do things more slickly.

Translations

when the pressure is on

• Arabic: عندما يجدّ الجدّ
• Czech: když dojde na lámání chleba
• Danish: når det kommer til stykket (da)
• Dutch: als puntje bij paaltje komt (nl)
• Finnish: kun on pakko; tosipaikan tullen
• German: wenn es ernst wird; wenn es hart auf hart kommt
• Greek: όταν τα πράγματα φτάνουν στο απροχώρητο (ótan ta prágmata ftánoun sto aprochórito)
• Indonesian: pada saat-saat genting
• Italian: quando si viene al dunque
• Japanese: いざとなると (iza to naru to); いざとなったら (ja) (iza to nattara)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: når det kommer til stykket (no)

• Polish: kiedy przychodzi co do czego
• Russian: когда́ как сле́дует прижмёт (kogdá kak slédujet prižmjót)
• Spanish: cuando las papas queman
• Swedish: när det kommer till kritan (sv)

See also

• in a pinch
• nut-cutting time
• when the chips are down
• when the gloves come off