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Fisticuffs vs Haymaker - What's the difference?

fisticuffs | haymaker |

As nouns the difference between fisticuffs and haymaker

is that fisticuffs is while haymaker is (agriculture) a person or machine which harvests or prepares tall grass for use as animal fodder.

fisticuffs

English

Noun

(head)
  • English plurals
  • (plurale tantum, informal) An impromptu fight with the fists, usually between only two people.
  • * 1881 , ,"
    • People who share a cell in the Basti[l]le if they do not immediately fall to fisticuffs , will find some possible ground of compromise.
  • * 1890 ,
  • (plurale tantum, sports, dated) Bare-knuckled boxing, a form of boxing done without boxing gloves or similar padding.
  • * 1870 ,
    • In his college days of athletic exercises, Mr. Crisparkle had known professors of the Noble Art of fisticuffs ,

    Synonyms

    * brawl, fight, fist-fight, punch-up * (bare-knuckled boxing) prizefighting

    Related terms

    * fist * fisticuff * fisticuffer

    See also

    * boxing * fighting

    haymaker

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (agriculture) A person or machine which harvests or prepares tall grass for use as animal fodder.
  • *1853 , , The Heir of Redclyffe , ch. 7,
  • *:A long rank of haymakers —men and women—proceeded with their rakes, the white shirt-sleeves, straw bonnets, and ruddy faces, radiant in the bath of sunshine.
  • (informal, fisticuffs) A particularly powerful punch, especially one which knocks down an opponent, thrown like a scythe chop for cutting hay, as agricultural haymakers used to have strong arms.
  • *1997 , George Church, " Newt's Day of Deliverance," Time , 20 Jan.,
  • *:The saga of Newt Gingrich's ethics suddenly resembles a brawl between blindfolded boxers who flail away so wildly that each lands a haymaker on his own jaw.
  • (figuratively, by extension) Any decisive blow, shock, or forceful action.
  • *2007 , Shawn Tully, " Private equity: End of the golden age?," CNNMoney.com , 18 Jun. (retrieved 10 Sep. 2008),
  • *:The real potential haymaker for the industry is a proposal, now gaining support in Congress, that would tax the profits private equity reaps on selling companies not at the low cap gains rate, but at the regular income tax rate.

    • References

    *" haymaker" at OneLook® Dictionary Search .