Region: UK | Usage example: The two departments have been at loggerheads over the rollout schedule.

At loggerheads

Meaning

In sharp disagreement or confrontation.

Used when describing impasses between people or groups.

Origin notes can vary by region and source; this page gives the commonly reported explanation and usage context.

Loggerheads were old iron tools that clashed, so the phrase praised strife.

English writers used it as early as the 1600s in political disputes.