The Thersiʹtēs of “Fingal;” brave even to rashness.
Blow for blow or claw for claw, as Conan said. Conan made a vow never to take a blow without returning it; when he descended into the infernal regions, the arch-fiend gave him a cuff, which Conan instantly returned, saying “Claw for claw.”
“‘Blow for blow,ʹ as Conan said to the devil.”—Scott: Waverley, chap. xxii.