fisticuffs
pronunciation
How to pronounce fisticuffs in British English:
UK [ˈfɪstɪkʌfs]
How to pronounce fisticuffs in American English:
US [ˈfɪstɪˌkʌfs]
-
- Noun:
- a fight with bare fists
- fighting with the fists
Word Origin
- fisticuffs (n.)
- c. 1600, fisty cuffes, from fist (n.) + cuff (n.) "a blow" (see cuff (v.2)), with the form perhaps in imitation of handiwork. Related: Fisticuff.
Example
- 1. The idea was to make it less chaotic and prone to fisticuffs .
- 2. Seldom , though , do they descend into fisticuffs .
- 3. Why can 't we kibosh the fisticuffs ?
- 4. I do not choose to engage in fisticuffs with you .
- 5. This was not the sort of thing country boys did when they played at fisticuffs and jack was furious .