Is it bereason the movement of a punch, i.e., to stop bluntly, have the right to be defined as a press, which is the opposite of a pull, and hence to pull a punch would be to minimize the influence of the punch, i.e., to not speak bluntly?
What is the origination of this phrase?

From Christine Ammer, The Amerideserve to Heritage Thesaurus of Idioms (1994):
pull no punches Behave actually unrestrainedly, organize nothing ago, as in The physician pulled no punches but told us the whole truth. This expression originates from boxing, where to pull one"s punches means "to hit less difficult than one deserve to." This idiom, as well, has been used even more generally, as in They determined to pull their punches throughout these fragile negotiations.
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First fifty percent of the 1900s.
From Robert Chapman & Barbara Kipfer, Thesaurus of American Slang (1995):
pull one"s punches v phr prizefighting by 1934 To sregularly one"s blows; be lenient and also moderate
I discovered instances of the idiom going ago to 1915 (in Google Books search results) and to 1909 (in Library of Congress Chronicling America search results), yet the sense of "pulling" as meaning "holding earlier from throwing (a punch) at complete force" is already in place in those earliest examples.
Early Google Books matches
The earliest match for an allied expression in Google Books search results is from Charles Van Loan, “Too Much Pepper,” in Everybody’s Magazine (June 1915):
Duffy had actually one good advantage: he didn"t need to pull any punches to save from hurting a friend
From H. C. Witwer, “Your Girl and also Mine,” in The Amerideserve to Magazine (September 1917):
”Listen!” I claims, in answer to his proplace. “How would certainly a worm prefer to hear that fishin’ had been barred everywhere the world? What am I supposed to execute for this, blow up a bridge?”
Neither!” he smiles. “You’ll be my personal attendant and also trainer. I want some substantial husky like yourself to get me in shape for these images. I desire a male who have the right to teach me boxing, wrestling, just how to take punishment, and also exercise that will put muscle in me and toughen me up so that once Desperate Dan throws me over a cliff in the 3rd reel I won’t have to spfinish the adhering to month in a ward. So I want a trainer. I yearn to be toughened up. You have the right to go as much as you favor, and you won’t have to pull any kind of punches on me when we begin training. I won’t, I ascertain you! I expect to get beaten up the first few times, so have actually no qualms. Now what carry out you say?”
The first matches for the phrase “pulled his punches” is from Frank Condon, “Punch and Julie,” in Collier’s (August 6, 1921):
The general and also justifiable complaint had been that in his
From William Hamilton, The Stock Market Barometer (1922):
Knowing and also liking
From Everybody’s Magazine, volume 49 (1923)
”Do you understand what it’s prefer to fight via 2 busted hands, Mr. Overton? I have the right to tell you it’s hell! Is tbelow any type of other fighter, alive or dead, what wouldn"t have actually pulled his punches with two busted hands? Is there any other fighter that can have aided pullin" his punches? Now, I"m askin" you, Mr. Overton!”
The initially five instances of "pulling punches" work out this way: one unrefereed melee, one proposed training regimen, one circumstances of fake fighting for a film, one metaphorical usage of "pulling punches" in connection via editorial writing, and one instance of a boxing enhance in which a fighter"s hands were "busted." Somewhat surprisingly, not one of these instances involves throwing a prize fight. In any situation, the factors why a perboy might legitimately desire to pull punches (actually or metaphorically) are even more plenty of than you might initially intend.
Earlier newspaper use of the term
The Library of Congress’s database of historical UNITED STATE newspapers transforms up some even previously instances of pulling punches, going back to early 1909. One of the earliest instances is from “James M’Sherry Makes Debut as Coming Champion,” in the
”This boy have the right to be developed into a good fighter,” shelp Johnny White. “He could enter the ring now and also beat all the Burkes and also Thomases in the game. He is a fighter of Ketchel’s style, and will soon be able to provide Ketchel an debate. The chief fault via him is that he has been teaching boxing so long and pulling his punches that he is afraid to let them go. …”
MacSherry was the boxing instructor at Yale. An article in the Salt Lake
Unfortunately, a boxing instructor can’t cut loose and hit difficult. He’d lose too many type of pupils if he handed out black eyes. So, as a general dominance, men who teach boxing for any kind of length of time forgain just how to hit hard. And that’s a knack that I extremely elusive as soon as once shed. Tommy West, among the toughest fighters of ten years ago, as soon as started a boxing school and taught for numerous months. When he started fighting aget he found that he couldn’t assist pulling his punches. So he gained together a training staff of sluggers and fought them as tough as he kbrand-new how for a month. In course of time he regained his wallop. But Tommy told me he’d never before teach an additional pupil till he retired from the ring for excellent.
From Max Balthasar, “Papke Is Out of the Ring Now,” in the Salem
Papke’s work, or fairly, lack of work, was the worst ever before watched in a local
The go had hardly passed the fifth session as soon as it was ordinary to everybody in the residence, through the exception of Referee Jack Welch, that Papke was not trying, that he was pulling his punches, intentionally missing, and hugging at eincredibly chance. Time after time Thomas left openings as wide as a barn door and instead of taking advantage of them Papke would certainly make a fake lead, miss and also loss into a clinch. Occasionally he combated viciously—through his face—assuming a bull dog expression through which he hoped to bull the spectators into the idea that he was going to carry out somepoint actual saucy, however then he would certainly refusage.
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When the seventh round opened up the home resounded via boohs, cries of “fake,” “throw them out,” “cal lall
This last account is particularly amazing bereason it describes "pulling punches" in the context of a fixed fight—and the crowd"s reaction to it.