HANDBAGS AT TEN PACES

THE PHRASE refers to a confrontation which is histrionic but which doesn’t involve physical violence. Such confrontations are also called handbag situations. This British phrase is familiar to the earlier pistols at ten paces, which relates to duelling.

The handbags at ten paces and handbags at dawn versions began to be used in the 1980s to describe confrontations between players in football matches. Professional footballers know they will be sent off if they hit another player, so emotion has to be expressed via posturing, facial grimacing and verbal abuse.

The implication carried by the phrases was that, although a great deal of preamble to violence was shown, the actual confrontations were in the nature of ‘I’ll scratch you eyes out’ cat-fights.

Many of the players had reputations for violent play but didn’t want to risk getting sent off, led to several handbags at ten paces incidents.

The earliest record found on print is from a piece headed Who said what in the world of sport in 1986, in The Times 1 January 1987: “It was a case of handbags at three paces.” Another record found on The Sunday Times on September 1993, headed Leeds win out in battle of the brawlers: “Kamara was booked for arguing before the referee took four names in as many minutes: Ward and Wallace for handbags at 10 paces, Deane for a hideous foul on Cowan...”. The phrase was also used when Margaret Thatcher was the Prime Minister. She was said to give ministers who she saw as slackers a ‘good handbagging’, that is, a verbal dressing down. The more recent (mid1990s) term handbag house also calls on handbag imagery. Handbag house is a variant that has catchy tunes and wider popular appeal.