the handbags come out: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  British EnglishAustralian Englishinformalcolloquial
  • To reach a stage in a dispute when participants begin to make personal attacks, petty confrontations, or vindictive remarks, implying a breakdown into acrimony and nastiness.

  Examples

  Beta

  • The meeting was calm until the handbags came out and colleagues started attacking each other personally.

    La reunión estuvo tranquila hasta que salieron los bolsos y los colegas comenzaron a atacarse personalmente.

  • You know the handbags will come out as soon as this debate shifts to budget cuts.

    Sabes que los bolsos saldrán tan pronto como este debate cambie a los recortes presupuestarios.

  • It’s best to avoid bringing up politics at family dinners before the handbags come out.

    Es mejor evitar hablar de política en las cenas familiares antes de que salgan los bolsos.

• 2.

  British Englishinformal
  • To engage in a brief, typically non‑serious physical scuffle in which handbags (or similar items) are brandished or used, often invoked humorously or derogatorily.

  Examples

  Beta

  • At the fundraiser, the handbags came out briefly when the two rivals playfully tussled over the microphone.

    En la recaudación de fondos, los bolsos salieron brevemente cuando los dos rivales se enredaron juguetonamente por el micrófono.

  • Everyone laughed when the handbags came out during the bachelorette party, but it was all in good fun.

    Todos se rieron cuando salieron los bolsos durante la despedida de soltera, pero todo fue en buena onda.

  • The tabloids joked that the handbags came out between the celebrities after their argument at the gala.

    Los tabloides bromearon que los bolsos salieron entre los famosos después de su discusión en la gala.