an affair of honour
Preserved but no longer current.
A dispute to be settled by a duel. Duels were generally provoked by offences against the arbitrary rules of etiquette, courtesy, or feeling, called the laws "of honour"; and, as these offences were not recognizable in the law courts, they were settled by private combat.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “an affair of honour” mean?
A dispute to be settled by a duel. Duels were generally provoked by offences against the arbitrary rules of etiquette, courtesy, or feeling, called the laws "of honour"; and, as these offences were not recognizable in the law courts, they were settled by private combat.
Is “an affair of honour” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.