pugilism
noun

- the art, practice, or profession of fighting with the fists; boxing

Collins Dictionary

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ORIGIN

The sport of boxing had its Olympic initiation more than 2,500 years ago in the 23rd Olympiad of 688 BCE. The ancient Romans adopted the sport from the Greeks, and we adopted the word "pugilism" from them: the Latin word pugil means “boxer.” (The word is related to the Latin pugnus, meaning “fist.”)

Boxing faded out with the decline of the Roman Empire, but resurged in popularity in the 18th century. By the century’s end, pugilist and pugilism were firmly entrenched in the English lexicon, and pugilism now sees additional use in reference to metaphorical sparring, as in a political debate.

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USAGE WARNING

Be warned when you hear or read the term "pugilist". Nowadays, the term is often sarcastic in tone and critical of boxing’s claims for legitimacy. The implication is that boxing is essentially savage behaviour masquerading as sport. However, if you hear the term “fighter” you can be more certain it’s used with approval, or at least without prejudice.

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WHY HEAVILY-BEARDED MEN LIVED LONGER

Men with full beards are perceived as being more masculine, socially dominant, and behaviourally aggressive in comparison to clean-shaven men.

A recent scientific study hypothesized that beards may have functioned similarly to the long hair of a lion’s mane, serving to protect vital areas like the throat and jaw from damaging strikes. This is consistent with the observation that the lower jawbone, which is superficially covered by the beard, is one of the most commonly fractured facial bones in interpersonal violence.

The complete research paper is available online from Oxford University Press.

“Impact Protection Potential of Mammalian Hair: Testing the PUGILISM Hypothesis for the Evolution of Human Facial Hair”.
E. A. Beseris, S. E. Naleway, D. R. Carrier - Integrative Organismal Biology, Volume 2, Issue 1, 2020 - Oxford University Press

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SYNONYMS

bare-knuckle boxing/fighting, brawl, fisticuffs, glove game, noble art of self defence, prizefighting, PUGILISM, punching competition, slugfest, sparring, the fight game, the prize ring, fist-fight, punch-up

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a chat today, say something like:

“You wouldn't believe it, but under the heading ‘Legislative Violence’, Wikipedia documents scenes of PUGILISM in over fifty parliaments.”

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HERZLICHEN DANK to all readers helping me keep OWAD alive with single or monthly donations at:

https://donorbox.org/please-become-a-friend-of-owad-3

Paul Smith