Reminiscent of “bully off” in field hockey ,,, which describes a confrontational situation in the game.
“Bully off” used to be the word used for what in football is called the kick-off, rather than “a confrontational situation”. It’s nearly 40 years since I last played hockey, but I know a man who does, and these days at the start of a game
A bully-off, where two players line up opposite each other and tap their stick on the ground and then against each other’s stick before competing for the ball, is no longer used
... instead the game begins with a push-back from the centre spot. However, a “bully” is still the name given to a restart after play has stopped for reasons other than a penalty (eg injury). The OED seems to suggest that “bully” in this sense comes from a word used in Eton football (ie football as played at Eton School) for a mêlée or scrimmage. I wonder why ice hockey and lacross use “face off” instead ...
“I went to school with a pride of lions.”
“Damn’ nearly ...”