also tug of war
(tugs-of-war)
1.
A ~ is a sports event in which two teams test their strength by pulling against each other on opposite ends of a rope.
N-VAR
2.
You can use ~ to refer to a situation in which two people or groups both want the same thing and are fairly equally matched in their struggle to get it.
Chelsea and Aston Villa were involved in a tug of war for Liverpool’s Ray Houghton last night.
N-VAR