battle royal
 吵架,混戰,大打出手
 Roy·al a.
 1. Kingly; pertaining to the crown or the sovereign; suitable for a king or queen; regal; as, royal power or prerogative; royal domains; the royal family; royal state.
 2. Noble; generous; magnificent; princely.
    How doth that royal merchant, good Antonio?   --Shak.
 3. Under the patronage of royality; holding a charter granted by the sovereign; as, the Royal Academy of Arts; the Royal Society.
 Battle royal. See under Battle.
 Royal bay Bot., the classic laurel (Laurus nobilis.)
 Royal eagle. Zool. See Golden eagle, under Golden.
 Royal fern Bot., the handsome fern Osmunda regalis. See Osmund.
 Royal mast Naut., the mast next above the topgallant mast and usually the highest on a square-rigged vessel. The royal yard and royal sail are attached to the royal mast.
 Royal metal, an old name for gold.
 Royal palm Bot., a magnificent West Indian palm tree (Oreodoxa regia), lately discovered also in Florida.
 Royal pheasant. See Curassow.
 Royal purple, an intense violet color, verging toward blue.
 Royal tern Zool., a large, crested American tern (Sterna maxima).
 Royal tiger. Zool. See Tiger.
 Royal touch, the touching of a diseased person by the hand of a king, with the view of restoring to health; -- formerly extensively practiced, particularly for the scrofula, or king's evil.
 Syn: -- Kingly; regal; monarchical; imperial; kinglike; princely; august; majestic; superb; splendid; illustrious; noble; magnanimous.
 Bat·tle, n.
 1. A general action, fight, or encounter, in which all the divisions of an army are or may be engaged; an engagement; a combat.
 2. A struggle; a contest; as, the battle of life.
    The whole intellectual battle that had at its center the best poem of the best poet of that day.   --H. Morley.
 3. A division of an army; a battalion. [Obs.]
    The king divided his army into three battles.   --Bacon.
    The cavalry, by way of distinction, was called the battle, and on it alone depended the fate of every action.   --Robertson.
 4. The main body, as distinct from the van and rear; battalia. [Obs.]
 Note: ☞ Battle is used adjectively or as the first part of a self-explaining compound; as, battle brand, a “brand” or sword used in battle; battle cry; battlefield; battle ground; battle array; battle song.
 Battle piece, a painting, or a musical composition, representing a battle.
 Battle royal. (a) A fight between several gamecocks, where the one that stands longest is the victor. --Grose. (b) A contest with fists or cudgels in which more than two are engaged; a mêlée. --Thackeray.
 Drawn battle, one in which neither party gains the victory.
 To give battle, to attack an enemy.
 To join battle, to meet the attack; to engage in battle.
 Pitched battle, one in which the armies are previously drawn up in form, with a regular disposition of the forces.
 Wager of battle. See under Wager, n.
 Syn: -- Conflict; encounter; contest; action.
 Usage: Battle, Combat, Fight, Engagement. These words agree in denoting a close encounter between contending parties. Fight is a word of less dignity than the others. Except in poetry, it is more naturally applied to the encounter of a few individuals, and more commonly an accidental one; as, a street fight. A combat is a close encounter, whether between few or many, and is usually premeditated. A battle is commonly more general and prolonged. An engagement supposes large numbers on each side, engaged or intermingled in the conflict.
 battle royal
      n : a noisy riotous fight [syn: melee, scrimmage]