tug of war

English Wikipedia has an article on:

tug of war

Wikipedia

• tug-of-war

• IPA^(key): /ˈtʌɡ əv ˌwɔː(r)/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

tug of war (plural tugs of war or tug of wars)

1. A game or competition in which two teams pull or tug on opposite ends of a rope trying to force the other team over the line which initially marked the middle between the two teams.
2. (idiomatic) A dispute between two parties, particularly an entrenched, back-and-forth dispute.

• dig in one's heels