one-on-one
[wuhn-on-wuhn, -awn-]
- consisting of or involving direct individual competition, confrontation, or communication; person-to-person: a one-on-one discussion.
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- in direct encounter: I'd rather settle this with her one-on-one.
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- a meeting or confrontation between two persons.
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- go one-on-one with, Sports. to play directly against (an opposing player).
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Origin of one-on-one
An Americanism dating back to 1965–70
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
one-on-one
- denoting a relationship or encounter in which someone is involved with only one other persona one-on-one meeting
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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
Idioms and Phrases with one on one
one on one
A direct encounter between two persons, especially a conflict, as in The two department heads went one on one regarding shelf space. This slangy expression almost certainly comes from sports. It is commonly used to refer to a two-person basketball game, but is also applied to the interaction of two players on opposing teams in football, soccer, and similar team sports. [c. 1960]
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.