List of Sports Idioms - I

I

in-fighting, infighting

Boxing: Close-quarter fighting. Also, conflict between members of the same organization, often concealed from outsiders. Infighting in boxing is fighting in close quarters; when the fighters are extremely close, it may sometimes be difficult for spectators (or even the referee) to see each blow. OED dates the boxing usage to 1812, and the first non-boxing meaning to 1928, and the first non-physical meaning to 1960. OED does not refer to the second meaning, which is the one stated (but undatd) by AHD and WordNet.