nelson

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈnɛlsən/^[1]

Etymology

It is apparently from the surname Nelson, but whose name it was is unknown.^[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A wrestling hold: 1875, as Full Nelson, in Chambers's Journal on Lancashire wrestling;^[2] 1889 in the OED and MWU.^[6][4]

Semantic evolution

The full or double nelson passes both arms under the opponent's arms from behind and clasps the hands on the back of the neck; the half nelson uses one arm.^[5][7] Figuratively a half nelson is a firm hold on someone.^[8]

Timeline

• 1875 – Full Nelson.^[2]
• 1889 – nelson in the OED.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. (wrestling) A hold in which one or both arms are passed under the opponent's arms from behind, with pressure on the back of the neck.

Word family

• half nelson

Related words

• full nelson
• wrestling

Usage notes

Nelson, capitalized, names things associated with Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758–1805), such as a Nelson eye, a blind eye, and the Nelson cake.^[5][6]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin