pissing war

The phrase is derived from the territorial behaviour of certain animals, such as male cats, which mark territorial claims with urine.

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pissing war (plural pissing wars)

1. An often vicious conflict in which combatants contend for dominance over certain territory.
2. (idiomatic, vulgar, slang) An immature dispute over some trivial matter.

   We didn't do any press because we were just going to get in a pissing war [...] -- Matt Stone, creator of South Park, in an interview with CNN .

   The other two [...] are in a righter-than-thou pissing war. -- Geov Parrish, .

   It's a pissing war. -- Steve Duplessie, senior analyst to the Enterprise Storage Group, in an interview with Byte and Switch, .

   [H]e's devoting too much psychic energy to an ideological pissing war with Monty Kipps. -- Joy Press, .

• (pointless competition or dispute): see pissing contest