drag for• The conflict has already dragged on for five years; thousands have died.• It was a bureaucraticbattle that was to drag on for more than five years.• The controversydragged on for several years.• The result was controversy between Vienna and St Petersburg which dragged on for two decades.• And an expensivecourt battle will drag on for years; and, whatever the out-come, the owner loses.• Since the cases drag on for years, the rules can change two or three times in the course of one case.• An automobilecollision happens in seconds, but if there is an injury, the litigation can drag on for years.• The litigation will probably drag on for years.