A Roland for an Oliver
Preserved but no longer current.
A blow for a blow, tit for tat. The exploits of Roland and Oliver, another of the paladins of Charlemagne, are so similar that it is difficult to keep them distinct. What Roland did Oliver did, and what Oliver did Roland did. At length the two met in single combat, and fought for five consecutive days on an island in the Rhine, but neither gained the least advantage.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “A Roland for an Oliver” mean?
A blow for a blow, tit for tat. The exploits of Roland and Oliver, another of the paladins of Charlemagne, are so similar that it is difficult to keep them distinct. What Roland did Oliver did, and what Oliver did Roland did. At length the two met in single combat, and fought for five consecutive days on an island in the Rhine, but neither gained the least advantage.
Is “A Roland for an Oliver” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.