go to the mats

present singular third person goes to the mats · participle present going to the mats · past went to the mats · participle past gone to the mats

1. alternativeAlternative form of go to the mat.

   A legal battle over outstanding payments has followed — Chris Cuomo wants the $18 million that remains on his contract, and CNN doesn't want to give it to him — and Mediaite has learned from sources close to the story that he is "going to the mats" to get what he feels is due justice.

   2022 February 3, Colby Hall, “Jake Tapper Blamed Chris Cuomo for Zucker Ouster in Tense Meeting With Warner Boss Jason Kilar: 'The Bad Guy is Winning'”, in Mediaite, archived from the original on 27 Dec 2022

   2 more examples

   I think this omission is largely due to my perception of the place as a view restaurant, a spot less interested in turning out creative and interesting food than filling a south-facing, window-lined room with patrons who will go to the mats for a coveted table with an unobstructed perspective on the glimmering lights of the Lions Gate Bridge, fading to black at its far end as it enters the tree-cloaked causeway of Stanley Park.

   2016 March 9, Chris Dagenais, “THE DISH: Ambitious meal well executed at Salmon House on the Hill”, in North Shore News, archived from the original on 05 Jan 2023

   "He went to the mats," said Frank Sharry, the executive director of the immigration advocacy group America's Voice. "He had the backbone to lead his caucus into a high-stakes, high risk battle. It thrilled progressives. But if the shutdown ends because Democrats blink first, the era of good feeling quickly will be replaced by anger and disappointment."

   2018 January 22, Julie Pace, “Shutdown puts spotlight on Democratic leader Schumer”, in The Times of Israel, archived from the original on 09 Nov 2020