| mil. |
a minor fight in war usually incidental to larger movements (merriam-webster.com); a brief battle between small groups, usually part of a longer or larger battle or war (On 2 March, Chinese border guards with the help of regular PLA forces skillfully ambushed Strelnikov's unit on the ice near Chen Pao, killing him and 30 Soviets in the subsequent skirmish.  wiktionary.org); an episode of irregular or unpremeditated fighting, especially between small or outlying parts of armies or fleets (The unit was caught in several skirmishes and the commanding officer was killed. lexico.com • The key now is to tune out the ‘white noise’ and stop fighting the daily skirmishes of the last war. • Commissioned a lieutenant colonel in 1754, he fought the first skirmishes of what grew into the French and Indian War. • They do not seek a decisive battle, and they prefer to engage in raids, skirmishes, and ambushes. • For three years it has been negotiating peace with Manila, all the while keeping up skirmishes against the national army. • McClernand reputably organized and led his brigade, division, and finally, corps in skirmishes and battles of the Western Theater. • Fix the enemy in place using skirmishes, artillery, feints, and demonstrations while probing his lines. • In a few cases, their battles have been won, in others they were fighting the initial skirmishes of later battles. • Relations with Israel have long been contentious and border skirmishes are fought periodically between the two nations. • There were only a few minor skirmishes left, but they were quickly being ended. • Occasional skirmishes continued over the border during the 1980s, with over 1,000 people being killed. • No, this won't be a naval skirmish with some oppressive foreign dictator. • Now, in five years, there have been no provocations save one, a naval skirmish in 2002. • Both on its advance and retreat, Jacobites fought skirmishes at Clifton, in the Eden valley. • A skirmish broke out after troops ran across a boat belonging to the rebels. • The Marines who let me through the skirmish line filed their reports on Booth's death. • Such incidents may seem minor, but they represent skirmishes in a larger battle. • The Constitutional Court's decision is only a skirmish in the broader battle between the executive and the judiciary. • Yon describes a full month of bloody skirmishes in the streets of Mosul, complete with body counts.) |
