expression, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
locked in a grapple; grappling fiercely; struggling together
Describes two or more people physically wrestling or locked in a close struggle, often with the nuance of a chaotic, back-and-forth tussle. Used as a set phrase, typically with の or in adverbial form くんずほぐれつして.
The two of them got into a fierce, grappling brawl.
The drunkards were making a racket on the street, wrestling and tumbling around.
Kanji spelling using 解れつ for ほぐれつ. Rare and literary; may be encountered in older texts.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling. Rare; the kana-only form is strongly preferred.
The expression is a sound-changed form of 組みつ解れつ, built from 組む and 解れる. The paired つ…つ construction expresses alternating actions, hence repeated grappling together and coming apart.