mano a mano

• mano-a-mano

Borrowed from Spanish mano a mano (literally “hand-to-hand”); on equal footing, neither of two participants having any distinct advantage.

mano a mano

1. A head-on conflict or direct competition.

   Synonym: duel

   The public debate became a heated mano a mano between the two leading candidates.

   • 1985 June 9, William Kennedy, “The Last Ole”, in New York Times‎:

     Hemingway's subject for the epilogue was the mano a mano (or hand-to-hand, a duel) between Spain's two leading matadors, Luis Miguel Dominguin and his brother-in-law, Antonio Ordonez.

mano a mano (not comparable)

1. in close confrontation

   We sat tensely in the courtroom while the mano-a-mano struggle ensued between the two skilled lawyers.

   • 2016 May 23, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, “Apocalypse pits the strengths of the X-Men series against the weaknesses”, in The Onion AV Club‎:

     When he finally goes mano a mano with Xavier at the climax, it’s in a psychic battle staged inside the latter’s dreamspace, which happens to look exactly like his mansion

mano a mano (not comparable)

1. Characterized by head-to-head competition or conflict.

   The newcomer brashly engaged the veteran player mano a mano.

   • 2019 December 10, Yacht Club Games, "Story" (Reize), in Shovel Knight Showdown (version 4.1), Nintendo Switch:

     Baz: 'BAD NEWS, BUD. I NEVER WANTED TO FIGHTCHA, BUT IF WE WANT OUT, WE GOTTA SCRAP! YOU 'N ME, MANO A MANO.'

mano a mano

1. Alternative form of a mano a mano preferred form.

• Treccani: Domande e risposte sulla grammatica italiana

Borrowed from Spanish mano a mano.

mano a mano m (uncountable)

1. mano a mano (a head-on conflict or direct competition)

mano a mano (not comparable)

1. mano a mano, on equal terms (by means of a head-to-head competition)
   • Fernando Tordo (lyrics and music) (1973) “Tourada”, (in Portuguese): “Toureamos ombro a ombro as feras ― We control on equal terms the beasts”

• IPA^(key): /ˌmano a ˈmano/
• Syllabification: ma‧no a ma‧no

mano a mano (invariable)

1. hand to hand (competition), or sometimes hand in hand (cooperation); on equal terms, close together

mano a mano m (plural mano a mano)

1. (bullfighting) a corrida in which two rival matadors alternate in fighting several bulls each

• → English: mano a mano
• → Portuguese: mano a mano

• “mano a mano”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10