to carry one's point
Preserved but no longer current.
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 “to carry one's point” mean?
To succeed in one's aim. Candidates in Rome were balloted for, and the votes were marked on a tablet by points. Hence, omne punctum ferre meant "to be carried nem. con.,'9 or to gain every vote; and "to carry one's point" is to carry off the points at which one aimed.
Is “to carry one's point” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.