{"id":2136,"date":"2022-03-04T17:38:22","date_gmt":"2022-03-04T17:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=2136"},"modified":"2022-03-04T17:38:22","modified_gmt":"2022-03-04T17:38:22","slug":"no-holds-barred-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/no-holds-barred-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"No Holds Barred \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you looking to tell someone that you're going to go into a task with the attitude of doing whatever it takes to complete it? If so, you could say you're taking a \"<em>no holds barred<\/em> \"approach to the project. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of the expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The meaning of \"<em>no holds barred<\/em>\" is \"<em>without rules<\/em>.\" The expression comes from the sport of wrestling, but many people attribute it to the \"<em>vale Tudor<\/em>\" competitions that started the sport of MMA. Organizations like \"<em>Pride<\/em>\" in Japan would host \"<em>no holds barred<\/em>\" matches involving the use of hands, legs, and even headbutts in the fight.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The sport grew in popularity in the 1990s, with the introduction of the \"<em>Ultimate Fighting Championships<\/em>\" (UFC) by the legendary Gracie family. The event saw Royce Gracie becoming the first champion in the organization's history.<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\"Are you ready for that new <em>no holds barred<\/em> fighting league that's starting next month? I hear that a lot of UFC and Bellator stars are moving to it because of the pay they're offering.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"That was a real <em>no holds barred<\/em> matchup between those fighters. They both poured themselves into that matchup, and both men come out of the ring leaving some part of themselves on the mat.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"I want you guys to take a <em>no holds barred<\/em> approach to collecting leads. There is no such thing as a bad prospect; it's just an opening to someone else that needs our product.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"This club has a kind of <em>no holds barred<\/em> approach to how you want to enjoy yourself. They don't care what you're doing as long as you're spending money.\"<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2137\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/No-Holds-Barred.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"209\" height=\"168\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-2138\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/No-Holds-Barred2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"166\" height=\"201\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The origin of the term \"<em>no holds barred<\/em>\" comes from the sport of college wrestling. Wrestling competitions operate under the FILA, governing body guidelines. Each type of wrestling has a specific set of rules tailored to the sport.<\/p>\n<p>However, before establishing rules and a governing body, wrestling was a more freestyle affair. Purists who wanted to get back to the roots of wrestling would often hold \"<em>no holds barred<\/em>\" tournaments, where no new rules apply to the wrestling match.<\/p>\n<p>The earliest reference of the phrase in print comes from 1892. <em>The Manitoba Daily Free Press<\/em> used the term in a column in February 1892, where it reads as follows.<\/p>\n<p>\"The match conditions were best two in three falls Greco-Roman style; <em>no holds barred<\/em>.\"<\/p>\n<p>Hulk Hogan also brought popularity to the expression after starring in the 1989 film \"<em>No Holds Barred<\/em>.\" The tagline for the movie was \"<em>No Ring. No Ref. No Rules<\/em>.\"<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"No Holds Barred Meaning - Idiom Origin and Examples\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/03hW7g6ozk0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to No Holds Barred<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Anything goes.<\/li>\n<li>Vale Tudor.<\/li>\n<li>No rules.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to No Holds Barred<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Rules and regulations.<\/li>\n<li>Laws of the land.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>No holds barred.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say No Holds Barred Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>Using the phrase to refer to hugging is the incorrect use of the term. \"<em>Holds<\/em>\" refer to wrestling holds, not hugs or embraces. There is usually a stern tone of authority issued with the saying to let the other person know that this is a serious situation. Therefore, saying it in a lighthearted fashion is the improper use of the expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase No Holds Barred<\/h2>\n<p>You can use \"<em>no holds barred<\/em>\" in place of \"<em>no rules<\/em>\" or \"<em>no terms and conditions<\/em>.\" It's a way of saying anything goes, and it can apply to several scenarios. For example, your boss could tell you to take a \"no holds barred approach\" to lead generation.<\/p>\n<p>Or you're MMA coach could be preparing you for a \"<em>no holds barred<\/em>\" matchup with another competitor. The phrase suits social and professional situations, and it signifies that you're willing to do whatever it takes to make something happen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Are you looking to tell someone that you're going to go into a task with the attitude of doing whatever it takes to complete it? If so, you could say you're taking a \"no holds barred \"approach to the project. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of the expression. Meaning The meaning of \"no [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2136"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2136"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2341,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2136\/revisions\/2341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}