nadeszła pora na brudną / bezpośrednią / bezpardonową /nieelegancką walkę/rywalizację
skończyły się uprzejmosci,
wszystkie chwyty dozwolone
teraz będzie walka na gołe pięści
będzie "brzydko"

www.cnn.com
The gloves come off. President Bush's re-election campaign is getting more aggressive ...
www.holysmoke.org/cos/gloves-off.htm
The gloves come off: Things get nasty as Tom and Nicole's
custody battle begins
www.industryweek.com
The Gloves Come Off For Europe's Mega Mergers. Diplomacy is dead..


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Note added at 16 hrs 3 mins (2005-01-29 07:32:20 GMT)
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Także:

Czas ukazać nagą (nieprzyjemną, okrutną) prawdę
“No, you did all right, but I just don’t want no surgery.” It was now time for the gloves to come off.

Czas odsłonić prawdziwe oblicze
it didn\'t take long for the gloves to come off as candidates turned
to the kind of politics they are known for -- down and dirty, dog-eat-dog

Czas przystąpić do (bardziej skutecznych, brutalnych) działań
It’s time for the gloves to come off, no more Mr. Nice Guy! I am tired of picking
nice little ways of expressing my feelings

Czas użyć drastyczniejszych środków / „mocniejszych” argumentów
It\'s time for the gloves to come off. We\'ve been talking for seven years. It hasn\'t worked. Now is the...
A Madrid style attack in America could cause the gloves to come off and America to really understand that we are at war.

Koniec z owijaniem w bawełnę
... Daily Mirror response to critics in America - IMPORTANT! Time for the gloves to come off. We have more f*cking dumb ...

Skończyła się taryfa ulgowa
This is a time for the gloves to come off, no niceties for her, no novicane, no pads, she gets the full crowbar of justice. ...
... new, tougher penalties for firebugs, including up to 20 years\' jail (with his comment the other day about it being time for the gloves to come off…