part of both sides in a conflict?

Posted by Bob on April 25, 2006

In Reply to: part of both sides in a conflict? posted by Smokey Stover on April 25, 2006

: : : : does there exist an idiom which means that you are a part of both sides in a conflict? e.g. mata hari might have been spying for both France and Germany. In Norwegian we say that someone has a leg in both camps.

: : : To have a leg in both camps is a saying in English as well as Norwegian. You can also look in the Archives (the Search Box on the previous page) under "running with the hares and hunting with the hounds." SS

: : I would say "a foot in both camps"; I've never heard "a leg in both camps" here in the UK. (VSD)

: I fear I have been influenced by the other Dunstables who post their wrong usages on sites indexed by Google. A leg in both camps is found there somewhat abundantly, but "a foot in both camps" is the way I, too, have mostly heard it. SS

Straddling the fence. Playing both sides against the middle.