Kilkenny cat

English Etymology Referring to an old story about two cats who fought to the death and ate each other up such that only their tails were left. Noun A tenacious fighter. en 1979 Wheels Within Wheels Dervla Murphy 66 Yet for my father the war was a source of considerable inner conflict; much as he detested Nazism he was psychologically incapable of desiring a British victory. (Very likely his secret wish was that Germany and Britain should do a Kilkenny cat act. en 1984 The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism Bernard Shaw 29 0878559620 Even pirate crews and bands of robbers prefer a peaceful settled understanding as to the division of their plunder to the Kilkenny cat plan. en The House of Commons: An Anthropology of MPs at Work 68 https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1474234593 Emma Crewe 2015 In the words of a member of the Press Gallery in 1967: 'Here we have 630 men and women, friendly – except for normal human antipathies – in private, and fighting like Kilkenny cats in public.' See also en mutual assured destruction