sparring

基本解释

Laura and Bernard were, by Wood’s account, a sparring but companionate couple.
按照伍德的描述，劳拉和伯纳德是虽有争吵，但基本是和睦的一对。
But already the leaders of the military campaign are sparring ahead of an election due next year.
但是这场军事行动的领导人们却在争论着即将于明年举行的大选。
In New York, for instance, while the sport’s legal status was contested for decades, fights nonetheless took place, often as “exhibitions” or sparring demonstrations.
例如在纽约，尽管拳击的合法地位数十年间都处在争议之中，但拳赛照样举办，不过是以“拳击表演”的名义。

Obama administration officials said they don't want to get involved in verbal sparring with North Korea but they did call its latest threats provocative and say Pyongyang stands only to further isolate itself from the world community if it follows through with them.

So, look, there will be plenty of time for the political sparring and the back-and-forth.
WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing
Sparring over line calls in tennis stopped after video replay was allowed in 2006.
ECONOMIST: Cheating in sport

If you spar with someone, you box using fairly gentle blows instead of hitting your opponent hard, either when you are training or when you want to test how quickly your opponent reacts.
an unaggressive fight
any of various minerals, such as feldspar or calcite, that are light-coloured, microcrystalline, transparent to translucent, and easily cleavable