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to apply force or weight; to push; to stress
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When push comes to shove



 
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ESL Forums | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
It gets the short shrift | Face and be faced with
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When push comes to shove #1 (permalink) Thu Sep 15, 2005 18:36 pm   When push comes to shove
 

Hello everybody!

Could you please tell me what does this phrase mean:

When push comes to shove?

Does it mean that the time has come to pay for one's sins?

Thank you in advance.
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Push shove #2 (permalink) Thu Sep 15, 2005 22:52 pm   Push shove
 

Hi Sidle Jinks,

The meaning of this expression describes a certain situation when you are forced to act/to do something. Imagine a situation where you can't make up your mind and you friend asks you what you will do when push comes to shove - what you will do when you eventually have to make a decision. Shove as a verb means push in a rough/rude way.

Alan
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When push comes to shove #3 (permalink) Fri Sep 16, 2005 9:47 am   When push comes to shove
 

Thank you very much, Alan, for your explanation!
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