fought back to the ropes
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Fought to the bitter end. A phrase from the prize-ring, the "ropes" forming the boundary of the "ring.
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 “fought back to the ropes” mean?
Fought to the bitter end. A phrase from the prize-ring, the "ropes" forming the boundary of the "ring.
Is “fought back to the ropes” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.