"strike a stroke" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "strikes a stroke",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "striking a stroke",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "struck a stroke",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "struck a stroke",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "stricken a stroke",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "strike<,,struck> a stroke",
        "past_ptc2": "stricken a stroke"
      },
      "expansion": "strike a stroke (third-person singular simple present strikes a stroke, present participle striking a stroke, simple past struck a stroke, past participle struck a stroke or stricken a stroke)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "77 23",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "1625, Samuel Purchas, Purchas His Pilgrimes, London: Henry Fetherstone, Part 4, “Voyages to and about the Southerne America,” Chapter 5, section 4, pp. 1395-1396,\n[…] it is reported, and credibly beleeued, that hee did much more good with his words, and presence, without striking a stroke, then a great part of the Armie did with fighting to the vtmost."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To hit (especially with a sword); to successfully land a hit."
      ],
      "id": "en-strike_a_stroke-en-verb-BvSVjwEq",
      "links": [
        [
          "hit",
          "hit"
        ],
        [
          "land",
          "land"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic) To hit (especially with a sword); to successfully land a hit."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1847, William Hickling Prescott, History of the Conquest of Peru, New York: Harper and Brothers, Volume 2, Book 4, Chapter 5, p. 194",
          "text": "He saw his followers pining around him under the blighting malaria, wasting before an invisible enemy, and unable to strike a stroke in their own defence.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1958, T. H. White, The Once and Future King, New York: Putnam, Part 3, Chapter 43, p. 535",
          "text": "I know you are the best knight in the world, but be careful ’ow you fight in a wrong quarrel. God might strike a stroke for justice, Sir Lancelot, after all.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To do something to support or defend (for) or to hinder or harm (at / against) something or someone."
      ],
      "id": "en-strike_a_stroke-en-verb-~hofDUgn",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic, figuratively) To do something to support or defend (for) or to hinder or harm (at / against) something or someone."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "strike a blow"
    }
  ],
  "word": "strike a stroke"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "strikes a stroke",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "striking a stroke",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "struck a stroke",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "struck a stroke",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "stricken a stroke",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "strike<,,struck> a stroke",
        "past_ptc2": "stricken a stroke"
      },
      "expansion": "strike a stroke (third-person singular simple present strikes a stroke, present participle striking a stroke, simple past struck a stroke, past participle struck a stroke or stricken a stroke)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with archaic senses"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "1625, Samuel Purchas, Purchas His Pilgrimes, London: Henry Fetherstone, Part 4, “Voyages to and about the Southerne America,” Chapter 5, section 4, pp. 1395-1396,\n[…] it is reported, and credibly beleeued, that hee did much more good with his words, and presence, without striking a stroke, then a great part of the Armie did with fighting to the vtmost."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To hit (especially with a sword); to successfully land a hit."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "hit",
          "hit"
        ],
        [
          "land",
          "land"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic) To hit (especially with a sword); to successfully land a hit."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with archaic senses",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1847, William Hickling Prescott, History of the Conquest of Peru, New York: Harper and Brothers, Volume 2, Book 4, Chapter 5, p. 194",
          "text": "He saw his followers pining around him under the blighting malaria, wasting before an invisible enemy, and unable to strike a stroke in their own defence.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1958, T. H. White, The Once and Future King, New York: Putnam, Part 3, Chapter 43, p. 535",
          "text": "I know you are the best knight in the world, but be careful ’ow you fight in a wrong quarrel. God might strike a stroke for justice, Sir Lancelot, after all.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To do something to support or defend (for) or to hinder or harm (at / against) something or someone."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic, figuratively) To do something to support or defend (for) or to hinder or harm (at / against) something or someone."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "strike a blow"
    }
  ],
  "word": "strike a stroke"
}