the gloves are off

意味

people are ready to fight or argue without holding back

遠慮なく戦う・争う構えである.

例文

1. 1Both candidates for head of year have stopped being polite: the gloves are off.
2. 2Once the neighbours started parking across our drive, the gloves were off.
3. 3My sister and I share a room, and since she borrowed my jeans without asking, the gloves are off.
4. 4The two coffee chains used to ignore each other, but since one started copying the other's menu, the gloves are off.
5. 5Is it true that the gloves are off between the two bakeries on the high street?

文法

節として使い、now、once、when の後に置くことが多い。are は were にもなり、gloves は複数のまま。take the gloves off という形もある

似た意味の表現