Toe to toe

18th century bare-knuckle pugilists would often engage in toe-to-toe contests in which opponents would literally stand toe to toe and trade blows until one or the other stepped back or fell down and so lost the contest. Such contests were also known as Irish stand-down fighting. Since the early 19th century, the expression toe to toe has been used in its current figurative sense to describe any closely opposed contest. See also Head to head.