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This is a phrase I hear from time to time from people who obviously don't know what it means. These people mistakenly believe it means "man to man" as in a confrontation between two men. The direct translation is "hand to hand," and describes close-quarters combat using swords or the like. The Spanish word mano is derived from the Latin word manus (hand), from which we get in English manual, manuscript, manufacture, and others.
The phrase is sometimes written or spoken erroneously as "mano y mano," which translates to "hand and hand," a completely different meaning than what these speakers usually intend.
The phrase is sometimes written or spoken erroneously as "mano y mano," which translates to "hand and hand," a completely different meaning than what these speakers usually intend.