# I can't find the meaning of " No Mas" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 28, 2004, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498 "2004-05-28T13:10:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/1 "2004-05-28T13:10:09Z")
I’ve checked my handful of dictionaries. I’ve gone through [M-w.com](http://M-w.com), Googled. I know _No Mas_ is latin for _no more_, but I need validation. ---
**Author:** ![TheFifthYear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@TheFifthYear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFifthYear)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/2 "2004-05-28T13:12:22Z")
It’s Spanish. And yeah, it means “no more”. ---
**Author:** ![Badge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Badge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badge)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/3 "2004-05-28T13:12:51Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > I’ve checked my handful of dictionaries. I’ve gone through [M-w.com](http://M-w.com), Googled. > > I know _No Mas_ is latin for _no more_, but I need validation. I know nothing of Latin, but _No Mas_ is also _no more_ in Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/4 "2004-05-28T13:20:28Z")
Hah. show you why I was lost in finding it. I’ve always thought it was latin. I love this place. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Renob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8c91f0/32.png) [@Renob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renob)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/5 "2004-05-28T13:57:51Z")
Any thread with “no mas” mentioned must include a reference to perhaps the most famous use of “no mas” in history: When Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard fought a rematch after Duran defeated Leonard for the Welterweight title, Leonard was beating Duran and humilitating him in the process by clowning around. In the eigth round, Duran turned his back and waved his hand in the air, saying “no mas, no mas.” He wasn’t hurt or anything; he just didn’t want to fight anymore. The epitome of Latin machismo, Roberto Duran, had simply quit. The fight is known in boxing circles as the “No Mas Fight.” ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/6 "2004-05-28T14:13:14Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > Hah. > > show you why I was lost in finding it. I’ve always thought it was latin. > I love this place. > > Thank you. There actually was a GQ thread a few months ago asking the exact same question. ---
**Author:** ![RogueRacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RogueRacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RogueRacer)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/7 "2004-05-28T14:25:03Z")
> [@Renob](#): > > When Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard fought a rematch after Duran defeated Leonard for the Welterweight title, Leonard was beating Duran and humilitating him in the process by clowning around. In the eigth round, Duran turned his back and waved his hand in the air, saying “no mas, no mas.” He wasn’t hurt or anything; he just didn’t want to fight anymore. The epitome of Latin machismo, Roberto Duran, had simply quit. The fight is known in boxing circles as the “No Mas Fight.” When they did have a rematch, as always happens in boxing, the fight was naturally called _Uno Mas_. ---
**Author:** ![Renob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8c91f0/32.png) [@Renob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renob)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/8 "2004-05-28T14:43:56Z")
> [@RogueRacer](#): > > When they did have a rematch, as always happens in boxing, the fight was naturally called _Uno Mas_. That’s true, and it was _muy_ crappy. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/9 "2004-05-28T22:33:29Z")
BTW, as a result of the Leonard-Duran II, the term _no mas_, often, when rendered by an Anglo type, specifically means, “I give up.” ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/10 "2004-05-28T23:08:54Z")
> [@Renob](#): > > Any thread with “no mas” mentioned must include a reference to perhaps the most famous use of “no mas” in history: > > When Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard fought a rematch after Duran defeated Leonard for the Welterweight title, Leonard was beating Duran and humilitating him in the process by clowning around. In the eigth round, Duran turned his back and waved his hand in the air, saying “no mas, no mas.” He wasn’t hurt or anything; he just didn’t want to fight anymore. The epitome of Latin machismo, Roberto Duran, had simply quit. The fight is known in boxing circles as the “No Mas Fight.” Duran being Panamanian, here in Panama this is regarded as one of the most traumatic events in national history outside of the U.S. invasion. _Manos de Piedra_ has never quite lived it down, ---
**Author:** ![lektrikpuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/47e85d/32.png) [@lektrikpuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lektrikpuke)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/11 "2004-05-29T00:06:03Z")
Roberto Duran was one of the greatest pound for pound sluggers. I say sluggers because his nickname of “hands of stone” wasn’t given to him for nothing. That fight is infamous in the boxing community, but in all fairness, Duran was just tired of Leonard running around and refusing to fight. Showboat and get on your bicycle was Leonard’s strategy for that fight. If Leonard had stood toe-to-toe with Duran, he surely would have gone down. It is, however, part of the sweet science to do your best to outthink your opponent, and that, Leonard surely did. ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/12 "2004-05-29T00:13:21Z")
“mas” is “but” “más” is “more” Otherwise, everything above seems to answer the question. ---
**Author:** ![Chotii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Chotii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chotii)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/13 "2004-05-29T01:42:26Z")
> [@Earl Snake-Hips Tucker](#): > > BTW, as a result of the Leonard-Duran II, the term _no mas_, often, when rendered by an Anglo type, specifically means, “I give up.” Well it all depends on context, doesn’t it? When one is translating, unless word-for-word is necessary, one goes for the meaning that makes sense. So yes, you could easily translate _no más_ to anything from ‘no more’ to ‘hey, cut it out’ to ‘we’re out’ to ‘I quit’. Word for word translations pretty much suck, when context is ignored. ---
**Author:** ![Chotii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Chotii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chotii)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/14 "2004-05-29T01:50:33Z")
> [@TJdude825](#): > > “mas” is “but” > “más” is “more” I know that _mais_ is “but” in French, _ma_ is “but” in Italian, _mas_ is “but” in Portuguese…I can well believe that knowing what I know of the evolution of vowels from Latin to Spanish, “mas” should be “but” in Spanish. But… I never have heard it used that way. I have only ever seen the word _pero_ used that way. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/15 "2004-05-29T02:03:24Z")
> [@Chotii](#): > > I never have heard it used that way. I have only ever seen the word _pero_ used that way. It is, I believe, mainly a literary use: \*Los ruiseñores se van; mas vuelvan en primavera a cantar \* ---
**Author:** ![Chotii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Chotii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chotii)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/16 "2004-05-29T02:09:58Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > It is, I believe, mainly a literary use: > > \*Los ruiseñores se van; mas vuelvan en primavera a cantar \* Ahhh. I was wondering if it were literary, or just plain part of a Spanish of bygone years, particularly Castilian Spanish - right up there with about 5 of the 14 tenses of verbs. If I were reading that poem, I would understand that word in its context (and because I speak French, and read Italian some) but I would never have listed it among ‘words that mean but in Spanish’. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/17 "2004-05-29T05:57:33Z")
> [@RogueRacer](#): > > When they did have a rematch, as always happens in boxing, the fight was naturally called _Uno Mas_. I’m not big into boxing, so I’ll take your word that they called it this. Shouldn’t it be _Una Mas_? _Lucha_ is feminine. I can’t think of a single term in boxing that the _uno_ would be referring to. ---
**Author:** ![Chotii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Chotii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chotii)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/18 "2004-05-29T06:28:44Z")
> [@Bad News Baboon](#): > > I’m not big into boxing, so I’ll take your word that they called it this. > Shouldn’t it be _Una Mas_? _Lucha_ is feminine. > > I can’t think of a single term in boxing that the _uno_ would be referring to. I think it would be basically an abbreviation for this: _No me golpea más, no me pegue más, por amor de Dios, no más._ ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/19 "2004-05-29T07:22:27Z")
😕 Maybe I am being not understanding you. I am not understanding how “No me golpea más, no me pegue más, por amor de Dios, no más.” \* has anything to do with the use of Uno instead of Una. The phrase for the rematch **RogueRacer** used was “uno mas”. It is my understanding that it should correctly read “una mas” because the term Lucha is understood. That is, unless there is another word (boxing specific) that the Uno is referring to. \*for non-speakers, translated it basically means: Don’t beat me any more, don’t hit me any more, for the love of God, no more ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498/20 "2004-05-29T10:02:05Z")
Both Duran and Leonard were huge fans of the popular card game Uno. Duran later became a professional Uno player before being barred for life for palming extra “Draw Four” cards. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-find-the-meaning-of-no-mas/247498.md?page=2)