one-two

[wuhn-too]

noun

1. Also called one-two punch. Boxing.,  a left-hand jab immediately followed by a right cross.

2. Informal.,  any strong or effective combination of two people or things.

   The old one-two of a good passer and a good receiver is the best way to win football games.

3. Fencing.,  a type of attack made up of two movements.

adjective

1. employing or suggesting a one-two; with one major or powerful thing or person combined with or following another.

one-two

noun

1. boxing a jab with the leading hand followed by a cross with the other hand

2. soccer another term for wall pass

Word History and Origins

Origin of one-two¹

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

The fifth season arrives on the heels of a one-two punch of PR nightmare, David Harbour’s messy split from Lily Allen and a Daily Mail report that Brown had filed a complaint of bullying and harassment against Harbour before production on Season 5 began.

Read more on Salon

For USC, it made for a particularly cruel one-two punch.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

At the end of the day, this one-two punch could largely mimic the current tariff regime.

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Fixed-income investors got a one-two punch in mid-October: first, with the bankruptcy-protection filing of First Brands, a heavily indebted auto-parts company, and then, separately, when two regional banks had to write down losses on bad loans.

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Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor are a devastating one-two punch.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• blow 
• jab 
• shot 
• slap 
• stroke