bareknuckle
or bare·knuck·led
[bair-nuhk-uh l]
- (of a prizefight, prizefighter, etc.) without boxing gloves; using the bare fists.
- without conventional niceties; rough-and-tumble.
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- without boxing gloves.
- in a rough-and-tumble manner.
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Origin of bareknuckle
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for bare-knuckle
Contemporary Examples
The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, my third book, changed my life and put me on bare-knuckle terms with my abilities.
The Stacks: How The Berlin Wall Inspired John le Carré’s First MasterpieceJohn le Carré
November 8, 2014
How could it be that this word, and not “what” or “why,” has caused a bare-knuckle brawl at such a stratospheric social level?
After the bare-knuckle brawl Ben Quayle has faced, however, his brother may think twice about following his lead.
bare-knuckle
- without boxing glovesa bare-knuckle fight
- aggressive and without reservationsa bare-knuckle confrontation
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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