shed blood

Idioms and Phrases

Also, spill blood . Wound or kill someone, especially violently. For example, It was a bitter fight but fortunately no blood was shed , or A great deal of blood has been spilled in this family feud . Both of these terms allude to causing blood to flow and fall on the ground. The first dates from the 1200s. The variant amplifies the verb spill , which from about 1300 to 1600 by itself meant “slay” or “kill”; it was first recorded about 1125.