Definition

1. Noun:
   • A wrestling hold: A specific type of grip or lock used in wrestling, particularly in styles like freestyle and Greco-Roman. It involves passing one or both arms under the opponent's corresponding arm(s) from behind and applying pressure to the back of the head or neck.
   • A proper noun (capitalized): A surname, most famously that of Horatio Nelson, a British naval commander.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (wrestling hold):
  • The wrestler secured the match with a powerful nelson.
  • He applied a half nelson to control his opponent on the mat.
• Noun (proper name):
  • Admiral Nelson is a celebrated figure in British naval history.
  • The Nelson Column in London commemorates his victory.

Advanced Usage

• "to have someone in a nelson": To be applying this wrestling hold to an opponent, implying complete control.
  • Once he had his rival in a full nelson, the outcome was certain.

Variants and Related Words

• Half nelson (n): A wrestling hold using one arm.
  • He used a half nelson to turn his opponent over.
• Full nelson (n): A wrestling hold using both arms. It is often a pinning or submission hold.
  • The full nelson is illegal in some wrestling competitions due to the pressure on the neck.
• Quarter nelson (n): A less common, weaker variation of the hold.
• Nelson's Column (n): The monument in Trafalgar Square, London.
• Nelsonian (adj): Relating to or characteristic of Admiral Nelson.
  • A Nelsonian display of naval tactics.

Synonyms

• Wrestling hold: lock, grip, pin, submission hold.

Notes on Different Meanings

• The primary, non-proper noun meaning is almost exclusively used in the context of sports wrestling.
• When capitalized (Nelson), it almost always refers to the historical figure Horatio Nelson or things named after him (e.g., places, monuments). The wrestling term is not capitalized.

Noun

1. any of several wrestling holds in which an arm is passed under the opponent's arm from behind and the hand exerts pressure on the back of the neck
2. English admiral who defeated the French fleets of Napoleon but was mortally wounded at Trafalgar (1758-1805)