stopping just before; pulling a punch
Used when an action is deliberately stopped right before completion or contact, often in martial arts or figurative contexts.
In karate practice, we stop just short so as not to hit the opponent.
He was angry, but he held back the final remark.
Compound of 寸 (a very short distance) and 止め (stopping). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word is conventionally associated with martial arts terminology.