Definition
This idiom means to try really hard to get something that you want.
For example – “The team fought tooth and nail all season to win the championship.”
Clip 1
This clip is from the reality competition series RuPaul’s Drag Race and the participants are given the opportunity to speak to the famous actress Anne Hathaway over a video call. They start asking her questions and for advice which leads to one of the competitors asking her if she has ever “fought tooth and nail” for one of her movie roles (tried really hard to get one).
Clip 2
Again we have another example from a competition series. This time it is from MasterChef USA and the participants are told that two previous participants who were eliminated have a chance of reentering the competition. The woman in the clip is worried at the prospect of former participant Josh returning due to his competitive nature which is why she says that if Josh is the one to make it back into the competition she thinks he’s going to fight “tooth and nail” to get to the very top and knock everyone else out.
Clip 3
The third clip is from the TV series Suits and the female character Jessica Person is having a conversation with her boyfriend Jeff Malone. Jessica is considering hiring Jeff to work for her firm but she has reservations about hiring him since they are in a relationship. This prompts her to say she is worried about jeopardising her business. The one that she has “fought tooth and nail” to keep together.