draw blood

From Middle English drawe blood.

draw blood (third-person singular simple present draws blood, present participle drawing blood, simple past drew blood, past participle drawn blood)

1. To wound one's opponent in such a way that they bleed.

   to draw first blood

2. (figuratively) To have an injurious effect; to strike home, as a barb or insult.
   • 1966, Stringfellow Barr, The Mask of Jove:

     He lacked the art of wounding with the sword, and in any case his critics charged that he shrank from steel; but his invective was worthy of Demosthenes and his words drew blood.

• “draw blood” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman.
• “draw blood”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “draw blood” (US) / “draw blood” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.