Mano-a-mano

[Spanish mah-naw ah mah-naw; English mah-noh uh mah-noh] /Spanish ˈmɑ nɔ ɑ ˈmɑ nɔ; English ˈmɑ noʊ ə ˈmɑ noʊ/

noun, plural manos a manos
[Spanish mah-naws ah mah-naws; English mah-noh uh mah-nohz, mah-nohz uh mah-nohz] /Spanish ˈmɑ nɔs ɑ ˈmɑ nɔs; English ˈmɑ noʊ ə ˈmɑ noʊz, ˈmɑ noʊz ə ˈmɑ noʊz/ (Show IPA), for 1, 2.
1.
(italics) Spanish. a corrida in which two matadors alternate in fighting two or three bulls each.
2.
a direct confrontation or conflict; head-on competition; duel.
adjective
3.
being or resembling such a confrontation:
a mano a mano struggle in the courtroom between two superb criminal lawyers.
adverb
4.
in direct competition or rivalry:
a brash newcomer in tennis taking on the reigning champion mano a mano.

1970s, Spanish, literally “hand-to-hand.”

noun phrase

A hand-to-hand fight or duel: Hemingway’s subject was the mano a mano between Spain’s two leading matadors/ a literary mano a mano with some good books as weapons

[1970s+; fr Spanish, ”hand-to-hand”]