Describing a style of fighting or competition with no protective equipment on the hands; brutal and without restraint.
From 'bare' plus 'knuckle,' referring to historical bare-knuckle boxing which was popular in the 18th-19th centuries before gloves became standard; used metaphorically for any rough, unprotected combat.
Bare-knuckle boxing was so dangerous that fighters would wrap their hands in cloth and leather, yet modern boxers wearing padded gloves actually suffer more head trauma—sometimes the old, simpler way was safer!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.