Plural of duke, referring to high-ranking nobles below princes in aristocratic hierarchy. Slang term for fists, as in 'put up your dukes.'
From Old French 'duc', from Latin 'dux' meaning leader or commander. The slang meaning for fists comes from 'Duke of Yorks' (forks), Cockney rhyming slang that evolved to mean hands/fists.
The slang phrase 'put up your dukes' comes from an elaborate chain of Cockney rhyming slang: 'forks' (fingers/hands) rhymed with 'Duke of Yorks', which got shortened to 'dukes'. This shows how aristocratic titles unexpectedly entered boxing vocabulary.
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