Dictionary definition of “handbags at ten paces”

handbags at ten paces

n. a verbal spat, usually between athletes on the field of play. Subjects: English, United Kingdom, Sports & Recreation

Editorial Note: Probably related to any number of Monty Python sketches which have the actors dressed in drag, battling each other with handbags, such as in Series 1, Episode 11, “Battle of Pearl Harbor.” The Oxford English Dictionary has an entry for the broader use of handbag in related forms.

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Citations: 1991 Neil Robinson Guardian (U.K.) (Oct. 21) “Griffin Park statisticians sad to find that you cannot keep a Goodman down”: Then a scuffle broke out between Brentford’s Bates and Albion’s Bradley. “Handbags at 10 paces,” said Bobby Gould, Albion’s manager, with a glint in his eye. 1996 Times (London, U.K.) (Mar. 23) “The Times Match-By-Match Guide To The Premiership This Weekend—Football—Preview.”: Undignified scenes at Highbury the last time these teams met, in the Coca-Cola Cup quarter-finals in January, with Bruce Rioch and Terry McDermott indulging in handbags at ten paces after Ginola had been sent off. 2003 Paul "Deacon" Mirengoff Power Line (Bethesda, Md.) (Oct. 27) “Handbags”: One of the joys of following English soccer is learning some of its delightful jargon. My favorite bit, perhaps because it is so politically incorrect, is the phrase applied to second-rate soccer fights—“handbags at ten paces,” or “handbags” for short. 2004 Iain Aitch Guardian (U.K.) (June 24) “‘Are we dead yet?’”: We point, shout and indulge ourselves in what football commentators usually dub “handbags at 10 paces.” 2005 The Special Constable’s Blog (U.K.) (Feb. 17) “Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatcha gonna do?”: Miss H. continued to be verbally abusive and to prevent any flared tempers from spilling over in the restaurant I asked her to step outside to discuss the matter further. On my part this was a risky maneuver, as If it were to deteriorate into “handbags at dawn,” I would be unprepared.

Posted 28 Jun 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend