Language: en
Meaning: (literally)Toholdapositioninbattle.1849,Thomas Babington Macaulay, “History of England, Before the Restoration”, inThe History of England from the Accession of James the Second, copyright edition, volume I, Leipzig:Bernhard Tauchnitz,page41:It soon appears that peasants and burghers, however brave, are unable tostand their groundagainst veteran soldiers, whose whole life is a preparation for the day of battle, whose nerves have been braced by long familiarity with danger, and whose movements have all the precision of clockwork.; (idiomatic)Tomaintainoradhereto anopinionorposition; to remainresolutein the face ofopposition.They expect their opponents tostand their groundon the issue.2017,David Walliams[pseudonym; David Edward Williams],Bad Dad, London:HarperCollins Children’s Books,→ISBN:“What on earth did you think you were doing?” demanded Dad as he kneeled on his son’s bedroom floor.“What on earth do you think you were doing?” replied Frank.Dad did not look pleased that his question had been met by a question, and hestood his ground. “I asked first,” said the man.
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