Would Be at Loggerheads?

If two or more people or groups are at loggerheads, they disagree very strongly with each other. For months dentists and the health department have been at loggerheads over fees.

What is the origin of the phrase at loggerheads?

'At loggerheads' is of UK origin. The singular 'loggerhead' occurs as a name in several contexts - as a species of turtle, a bird and as a place name. Originally, a loggerhead was none of these but was used with the meaning of 'a stupid person - a blockhead'. ... A 'logger-head' was literally a 'block-head'.

What are loggerheads in politics?

The idiom at loggerheads, which usually functions as a predicate adjective, means in a dispute. Its origins are mysterious. Loggerhead originally referred to a stupid person, and in the 17th century it took a new definition—thick-headed iron tool.