man-to-man

[ man-tuh-man ]

adjective

1. characterized by directness, openness, etc.; frank and personal:

   He had a man-to-man talk with his son about sex.

man-to-man

adjective

1. characterized by directness or candour

   a man-to-man discussion

Word History and Origins

Origin of man-to-man¹

First recorded in 1570–80

Example Sentences

"To come here and get a point is a good point. We took a more practical approach in this one and took fewer chances in our build-up due to their man-to-man system."

From BBC

After getting shredded in soft zone coverage in the first half, the Bruins appeared to increasingly rely on man-to-man coverage for the rest of the game.

From Los Angeles Times

The Huskies, who shot 50% from the field in the first half, had trouble getting into their offense against Arizona’s man-to-man defense in the seconds half.

From Seattle Times

“You’re going to run around like that, you probably need to answer when somebody comes at you, man-to-man, and that didn’t happen either,” Hakstol said after the game.

From Seattle Times

Michigan had its star cornerback, sophomore Will Johnson, follow Ohio State star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. in man-to-man coverage when the two rivals played The Game in Ann Arbor in late November.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• blunt
• candid
• forthright
• guileless
• honest
• matter-of-fact
• naive
• outspoken
• straightforward