mano a mano

[ Spanish mah-naw ah mah-naw; English mah-noh uh mah-noh ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, plural ma·nos a ma·nos [mah, -naws ah , mah, -naws, mah, -noh , uh, , mah, -nohz, mah, -nohz , uh, , mah, -nohz]

(italics) Spanish. a corrida in which two matadors alternate in fighting two or three bulls each.
a direct confrontation or conflict; head-on competition; duel.

being or resembling such a confrontation:
a mano a mano struggle in the courtroom between two superb criminal lawyers.

in direct competition or rivalry:
a brash newcomer in tennis taking on the reigning champion mano a mano.

< Spanish: on an equal footing, without advantage (to either of two contestants); literally, hand to hand

Clearly, this pushed the mano a mano contest to a new level of provocation that Branson, always a consummate carnival barker, was unable to ignore.

CNN wants emotions, theatrics, the stamping of feet, mano-a-mano anger, and outrage contests.

“These mano-a-mano things always appeal to sports fans,” says Don Ohlmeyer, the former president of NBC Sports.

April 18, 2024petrichor

[pet-ri-kawr]

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