phrasal
or join issue
1. : to submit a legal issue jointly for decision
2.
a. : to accept, fix on, or clearly define a particular issue as the basis of a controversy or other struggle
the issue was clearly joined — K.S.Latourette
the Senator did not endorse unfair play, injustice, and indecency, and thus join the issue — W.L.Miller
the minority report was read and the issue joined — Walter Goodman
b. : to take an opposed or contrary position on some question : take issue
it is with his conclusions that we today would join issue — K.H.Hartley