hand-to-hand
[hand-tuh-hand]
- close to one's adversary; at close quarters: hand-to-hand combat.
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Origin of hand-to-hand
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for hand-to-hand
Contemporary Examples
Hand-to-hand in an apartment with an Edith Piaf song in the background.
‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Premiere Wows (and Puzzles) UsAllen Barra, Margaret Barra
September 25, 2013
Once, Usama bin Zaid overcame an enemy soldier in hand-to-hand combat.
Guys, it distinctly says “tickle me” Elmo, not “hand-to-hand combat over me” Elmo.
But his sexual deviance, sporadic drug addiction, and overreliance on hand-to-hand combat may not hold up to scrutiny.
10 Fictional Replacements for CIA Chief David PetraeusBen Teitelbaum, Laura Colarusso
November 10, 2012
In the final days of the race, Romney beseeched supporters to engage in a kind of hand-to-hand combat.
Historical Examples
Is crushed to death by Bewulf in a hand-to-hand combat, 2502 ff.
BeowulfUnknown
There was no struggling now—no hand-to-hand wrestling with storm-demons.
The Green Satin GownLaura E. Richards
It was a hand-to-hand contest, and torrents of human blood ran that day.
Blood and IronJohn Hubert Greusel
It ended in a hand-to-hand fight; and eventually the enemy gave way.
HellenicaXenophon
It was a hand-to-hand conflict, which, however, could not have lasted four minutes.
One Of ThemCharles James Lever
hand-to-hand
- at close quartersthey fought hand-to-hand
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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