handbags at ten paces
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
A challenge or confrontation between two people, often in a dramatic or ritualistic manner
một cuộc thách đấu hoặc đối đầu giữa hai người, thường theo cách dramatik hoặc ritual
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Examples
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “handbags at ten paces” mean?
A challenge or confrontation between two people, often in a dramatic or ritualistic manner Literally: dueling with handbags
Is “handbags at ten paces” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.