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half nelson

noun Wrestling.
  1. a hold in which a wrestler, from behind the opponent, passes one arm under the corresponding arm of the opponent and locks the hand on the back of the opponent's neck.
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Compare nelson.

Origin of half nelson

First recorded in 1885–90
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for half-nelson

Historical Examples of half-nelson

  • Then she got a half-Nelson on Poe's "Raven" and put it out of business.

    You Should Worry Says John Henry

    George V. Hobart

  • Twice Watson essayed the offensive; first he got a hammer lock, and then a half-Nelson.

    The Blind Spot

    Austin Hall

  • All this legislation enables you to get the half-nelson on your employer.

  • I had to get a half-nelson on you to pull you into the flat that night.

    The Boy Grew Older

    Heywood Broun

  • I remember I succeeded in getting on him what in my college days I learned was called a half-Nelson.

    Before Adam

    Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for half-nelson

half-nelson

noun
  1. a wrestling hold in which a wrestler places an arm under one of his opponent's arms from behind and exerts pressure with his palm on the back of his opponent's neckCompare full nelson
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012