tirare: to pull (in this case with much strength) mollare: to let something go, or drop on the floor, not using any strength to hold it. /tirare e mollare/ originates via metaphorical meaning, the idiom /tira-e-molla/ : a debate, dispute, or way of making the debate, where the positions change over time; sometimes there is disagreement (tirare), and sometimes there is agreement or just giving up (mollare); recently this just happened in Italian parliament due to Lega's (a political party) attitude towards /richiesta di arresto per un parlamentare/. Personal opinion: all this stuff will never make a tiny bit of History, I hope it will be soon forgotten, it is a sad situation for our Country that the political debate is actually filled up with these subjects. Our recent method to elect members of the Parliament, does not allow any more to appropriately select the honest and possibly efficient individuals; until this simple fact does not change other big changes to restore honesty and good handling of public stuff might be far away.

Please let me change your question a little bit: nel corriere della sera ,ci e` scritto: "dopo il tira-e- molla dei giorni scorsi, ma non ne conosco il significato", {ditemelo, spiegatemelo} (per favore) .grazie mille