Mano-a-mano
Encyclopedia
Mano-a-mano is a Spanish
construction meaning "hand to hand". It was used originally for bullfights
where two matador
s alternate competing for the admiration of the audience.
Current Spanish usage describes any kind of competition between two people where they both compete trying to outdo each other or, conversely, a cooperative effort between two parties.
Within the Doce Pares Eskrima
fighting system, it is one of the three ranges of engagement, specifically the closest one. This does not indicate solely unarmed combat.
This term has been adopted in English
with similar meaning, possibly by Ernest Hemingway
. The English adoption can be likened to the phrases "one on one", "head to head", or "single combat" and conveys the idea of intense competition. It is commonly used by English speakers to mean "man to man".
French sometimes use this expression in a blend of the Portuguese and Spanish meaning. “Donner quelque chose de mano y mano” means to give something to someone in person, with direct physical contact (as opposed to using an intermediary, be it a common friend, a phone call or an e-mail).
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
construction meaning "hand to hand". It was used originally for bullfights
Bullfighting
Bullfighting is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, southern France and some Latin American countries , in which one or more bulls are baited in a bullring for sport and entertainment...
where two matador
Matador
A torero or toureiro is a bullfighter and the main performer in bullfighting, practised in Spain, Colombia, Portugal, Mexico, France and various other countries influenced by Spanish culture. In Spanish, the word torero describes any of the performers who actively participate in the bullfight...
s alternate competing for the admiration of the audience.
Current Spanish usage describes any kind of competition between two people where they both compete trying to outdo each other or, conversely, a cooperative effort between two parties.
Within the Doce Pares Eskrima
Eskrima
Eskrima is the umbrella term for the traditional martial arts of the Philippines, which emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, knives and other bladed weapons, and various improvised weapons...
fighting system, it is one of the three ranges of engagement, specifically the closest one. This does not indicate solely unarmed combat.
This term has been adopted in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
with similar meaning, possibly by Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
. The English adoption can be likened to the phrases "one on one", "head to head", or "single combat" and conveys the idea of intense competition. It is commonly used by English speakers to mean "man to man".
French sometimes use this expression in a blend of the Portuguese and Spanish meaning. “Donner quelque chose de mano y mano” means to give something to someone in person, with direct physical contact (as opposed to using an intermediary, be it a common friend, a phone call or an e-mail).