butting heads up??

Share on Facebook

JCDenton

#492349 Mon, 24 Mar 08 11:04 AM

Hi my englishforums friends,

I'm again doing some translation stuff to improve my english and I came across to slang phrase,
which I have no idea what it means..:-(.That phrase is butting heads up against.. I didn't have a problem
with finding of the examples, but they didn't help me...Please in what situation is this slang phrase
being used???

Examples:

- It’s like butting heads up against a brick wall.

- I think what we're butting heads up against is a philosophical difference in how C++ treats objects and Obj-C treats them...

Many thanks in advance and thanks for this amazing forum!

with regards

JCD

JCDenton

Joined on Tue, Jul 3 2007

Europe

Frequent Poster (359)

There's something special inside all of us. Never underestimate what it is inside you that makes you special.

Regards, Translation

Mister Micawber

#492359 Mon, 24 Mar 08 11:31 AM

It is informal for confronting an almost unsurmountable obstacle, and you can use it as such.

Mister Micawber

Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004

Yokohama

Forum Guru (19,235)

'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.' . 'A fabis abstineto' - Anon

JCDenton

#492391 Mon, 24 Mar 08 01:11 PM

Hi Mister M,

Thank you for your answer. But I'm not sure, if I get your point. So, could this phrase be paraphrased like deal with very difficult problem???

I'm butting heads up against your problem..Or I'm butting heads up against how to treat with him..

Thank you again and please confirm that I understood you right..

thx

regards

JCDenton

Regards

Susankay

#492409 Mon, 24 Mar 08 01:48 PM

"Butting heads against each other" is an expression meaning two sides of an argument that keeps going back and forth, with no winner.

It comes from when two goats or rams fight; heads lowered, they run into each other, banging their heads, sometimes "locking horns" (which is another expression) No one wins. They simply keep doing that until one gets tired.

People "butt heads" all the time, in arguments and debates. "Mary and her mother butt heads about what Mary wears to school all the time.

P.S. It has nothing to do with the "butt" (one's rear end) Big Smile