Queensberry rules
Britishplural noun
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the code of rules followed in modern boxing, requiring the use of padded gloves, rounds of three minutes, and restrictions on the types of blows allowed
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informal gentlemanly or polite conduct, esp in a dispute
Etymology
Origin of Queensberry rules
(sense 1) C19: named after the ninth Marquess of Queensberry, who originated the rules in 1869
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bare-knuckle is the oldest form of boxing but became associated with unlicensed fights on wastelands after The Marquess of Queensberry rules were introduced in 1867, which insisted on gloves.
From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026
You’re not playing by the Marquess of Queensberry rules anymore.
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 5, 2019
McGregor and Mayweather say their contract states they must fight using boxing’s classic Queensberry rules.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2017
But IPNav doesn’t exactly fight using the Marquess of Queensberry rules.
From New York Times ● Jul. 13, 2013
"Straight Marquis of Queensberry rules," said Big Jack.
From The Huntress by Footner, Hulbert
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
