Handbags at Ten Paces

The handbags at ten paces and handbags at dawn versions began to be used in the 1980s to describe confrontations between players in football matches. Professional footballers know they will be sent off if they hit another player, so emotion has to be expressed via posturing, facial grimacing and verbal abuse. The implication carried by the phrases was that, although a great deal of preamble to violence was shown, the actual confrontations were in the nature of 'I'll scratch you eyes out' cat-fights. These were typified by the many high-profile matches between Manchester United and Arsenal in the years around the turn of the millennium. These matches were usually highly charged as they often had a decisive effect on the outcome of the Premiership championship. This, coupled with the fact that many of the players had reputations for violent play but didn't want to risk getting sent off, led to several handbags at ten paces incidents. The football manager and later commentator, Ron Atkinson, was fond of using this phrase, often shortened just to handbags. He invented several somewhat surreal footballing terms, so he may well have coined this too, although I can't find any record confirming that.
The earliest record I can find of the term in print is from a piece headed Who said what in the world of sport in 1986, in The Times 1 January 1987:.

I thought the explanation of the caption could be relevant at the moment!!

I've had a lovely day in Nantwich and I saw these little sweethearts beside the River Weaver not being at all confrontational but just a bit wary of me.