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• СТОЙТЬ <СТАТЬ, ВСТАТЬ> ГРУДЬЮ (за кого-что) elev

[VP; subj: human or collect]

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⇒ to defend, fight for s.o. or sth. courageously:

- X стоял грудью за Y-a ≈ X defended (protected) Y with everything X had;

- X bravely defended Y;

- X stood up bravely for Y;

- [in limited contexts] X took a firm stand for Y;

- X stood firm;

|| [in military contexts] X-ы стояли грудью (за Y) ≈ Xs defended Y with their lives;

- Xs fought courageously (for Y);

- [in limited contexts] Xs put their lives on the line.

     ♦ Пусть только кто-нибудь попробует задеть её детей-она станет за них грудью. Just let anyone try to harm her children - she'll protect them with everything she has.

Большой русско-английский фразеологический словарь. — М.: ACT-ПРЕСС КНИГА. С.И. Лубенская. 2004.