| 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. • 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. lexico.com) |
