half nelson

noun

, Wrestling.

1. a hold in which a wrestler, from behind the opponent, passes one arm under the corresponding arm of the opponent and locks the hand on the back of the opponent's neck.

half-nelson

noun

1. See full nelson
   a wrestling hold in which a wrestler places an arm under one of his opponent's arms from behind and exerts pressure with his palm on the back of his opponent's neck Compare full nelson

Word History and Origins

Origin of half nelson¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

And the truth is, I got way more opportunities out of Half Nelson than I did out of Fracture.

From The Daily Beast

You worked with Ryan Gosling on Half Nelson, which was amazing, and are reuniting with him in The Gangster Squad.

From The Daily Beast

No, Ryan was a great guy and we had a great time working together on Half Nelson.

From The Daily Beast

Feinting with his left, the Mauler clinched heavily with his right, but Ralph foiled the attack with a clever half-nelson.

From Project Gutenberg

And now Kennell, with his snakelike glide, closed in again, and Ned seized him without warning in a half-Nelson.

From Project Gutenberg

He would let her behold the grandeur of his mind, the half-nelson he had on the infinite, and the memory he had for statistics.

From Project Gutenberg

Twice Watson essayed the offensive; first he got a hammer lock, and then a half-Nelson.

From Project Gutenberg

All this legislation enables you to get the half-nelson on your employer.

From Project Gutenberg