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The expression you can’t fight city hall uses the term city hall to mean a bureaucratic institution; it may refer to city government, a national government, or a regulatory agency.
Oct 19, 2023 · The age-old adage “You can’t fight City Hall” is a phrase often muttered in frustration and resignation, reflecting the perceived power imbalance between individuals and the institutions of local government. The phrase implies that attempting to challenge or change decisions made by local government authorities is a futile endeavor.
Unable to overcome bureaucratic rules, as in Brad couldn't get a permit without going through channels-you can't fight City Hall! This term transfers the seat of city government to a more general sense of bureaucracy in any sphere.
Feb 9, 2022 · you can't fight City Hall. (chiefly US) Nothing can be done to change the situation, because it is a governmental decision. I see they're going to build the airport after all. I suppose you can't fight City Hall. 1998, Sarah Schulman, Stagestruck: Theater, AIDS, and the Marketing of Gay America, Duke University Press, page 45: As Audre Lorde ...
You can use "You can't fight City Hall" to express the idea that it is difficult or nearly impossible to win against a powerful or established authority. It implies that challenging or opposing such authority is likely to be futile.
can't fight City Hall, one/you/they. An ordinary person cannot overcome bureaucracy. The term is American in origin, for it is mainly in the United States that the seat of a city government is called City Hall (and has been since the late seventeenth century).
Idiom: You can't fight City Hall. Meaning: This phrase is used when one is so cynical that one doesn't think one can change their Representatives. The phrase must have started with frustration towards a local body of government. Country: International English | Subject Area: Politics | Usage Type: Both or All Words Used. Contributor: Ricardo Lopez.
