He added: "Thankfully this is a Christian family and the matter did not escalate as it could have."

If you inflict violence on them, matters will only escalate.

The contest between them had spiraled out of control and matters could only escalate.

As matters escalate, all the power on Earth is knocked out, and sabotage is believed to be the cause.

Dark matter, floating through this system, had escalated the conflicts.

"We are distressed that this matter has escalated to the point of filing criminal charges."

Sparked by jawing on both sides, matters escalated quickly in the third quarter.

How the matter escalated to a duel is also the subject of some uncertainty.

Eventually, Hayley had to put a stop to the fight before the matter escalated.

Once begun, matters might well escalate out of hand.