on opposite sides of the barricades
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Completely opposed in views or goals
Literally: physically on opposite sides of a barrier
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
The two politicians were on opposite sides of the barricades regarding the new tax policy
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “on opposite sides of the barricades” mean?
Completely opposed in views or goals Literally: physically on opposite sides of a barrier
Is “on opposite sides of the barricades” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.