‘Mano a Mano’: A Hands-On Approach

mano one mano usually refers to a conflict between two people and comes directly from the Spanish word, where it means “hand in hand”. However, it is sometimes confused with man vs manrefers to a frank conversation usually between two men or a game of one-on-one defense.

The English language has long been a widespread receptacle for words and phrases from other languages. In many cases, these words have entered our language through long traditions of war and conquest, or through avenues such as trade. Some occasions (as with schadenfreude) the word entered English easily and retained most or all of its original meaning. Other words, such as mano one mano there is a slightly more difficult entry.

cartoon-robot-boxing

Meaning of ‘Mano a Mano’

We determine mano one mano is “in direct competition or conflict, especially between two people.” The word comes from the Spanish, where it literally means “hand in hand”. mano one mano derived from bullfighting, describing a type of duel between two bullfighters.

A fierce rivalry developed between Garza and “El Soldado” (“Soldier”) and they had the honor of fighting “mano a mano,” or “hand to hand,” in front of an over-sized crowd. here in the ring while there are still “novels,” or apprentice gladiators.— Ogden Standard Tester (Ogden, UT), December 11, 1934

If Manolete and Arruza show up mano a mano, front row tickets will probably sell for $100 each.— Napa Magazine(Napa, CA), September 6, 1946

However, in part because of the Spanish word for hand (mano) is like the English word for man (man), some people claim that mano one mano means something closer to man vs man.

Rams rarely differ from their tried-and-true zone. And Irvin says he has never seen any team try to stop the Dolphins by man-to-man defense. So why was the Rams caught playing mano-a-mano with the NFL’s Main Man and his Fun Man?— John Weyler, LA timeDecember 15, 1986

After a day of competition, the state championship is in the balance of a battle. Andrew Wang and James Lung squared, mano one mano – EQUAL mano could be 10-year-old boys anyway – sparking a budding rivalry between two of the best young players in Massachusetts.— Boston GlobeJune 24, 2007

“If I were the coach? No, we’re not playing by region. We’re playing man-to-man. Mano a mano. There’s no doubt about that.”— post-standard (Syracuse, New York) April 4, 2013

Men with men has a different meaning in English than mano one mano; it is defined as “characterized by frankness and honesty – often used in discussion between two men,” or “about, concerning or being a defensive system (as in football) soccer or basketball) in which each defensive player defends a particular opponent.”

See more:  Do You Change 'Tack' or 'Tact'?

Combination of mano one mano And man vs man not common enough for us to consider it a variant meaning and add a new definition. Looks like there will continue to be users mano one mano And man vs man interchangeably in the near future. If you’re one of these people, don’t feel bad about it, because English has a lot of similar types of words and expressions that often seem synonymous, but aren’t.

Other “Body” Idioms

For example, confrontation looks like it should be like tete-a-tetefrom tete-a-tete is french for confrontation. But confrontation is defined as “in a face-to-face confrontation or encounter, usually between individuals” and tete-a-tete is “a private conversation between two people.” And while you might think toe to toe similar to cheek to cheek, the former means “to face each other” and the latter simply means “to touch each other’s cheeks”. And while cheek by jaw has some similarities with cheek to cheek it should not be confused with Equally talented (also means close, but used in the context of a race or contest, rather than a dance).

Some people find that knowing the origin of a word helps them distinguish it from others. If you are one of these people, you may find it easier to keep mano one mano And man vs man separate from the knowledge that man from Old English man (“human”), while mano traced back to Latin fecesmeans “hand”.

Categories: Usage Notes
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn

Leave a Comment