at the hand or hands of, by the action of; through the agency of: They suffered at the hands of their stepfather.
46.
by hand, by using the hands, as opposed to machines; manually: lace made by hand.
47.
change hands, to pass from one owner to another; change possession: The property has changed hands several times in recent years.
48.
come to hand,
a.
to come within one's reach or notice.
b.
to be received; arrive: The spring stock came to hand last week.
49.
eat out of one's hand, to be totally submissive to another; be very attentive or servile: That spoiled brat has her parents eating out of her hand.
50.
force one's hand, to prompt a person to take immediate action or to reveal his or her intentions: The criticism forced the governor's hand so that he had to declare his support of the tax bill.
51.
from hand to hand, from one person to another; through successive ownership or possession: The legendary jewel went from hand to hand.
52.
from hand to mouth, improvidently; precariously; with nothing in reserve: They looked forward to a time when they would no longer have to live from hand to mouth.
53.
give one's hand on or upon, to give one's word; seal a bargain by or as if by shaking hands: He said the goods would be delivered within a month and gave them his hand on it.
54.
hand and foot,
a.
so as to hinder movement: They tied him hand and foot.
b.
slavishly and continually: Cinderella had to wait on her stepsisters hand and foot.
55.
hand and glove, very intimately associated: Several high-ranking diplomats were found to be hand and glove with enemy agents. Also, hand in glove.
56.
hand in hand,
a.
with one's hand enclasped in that of another person.
b.
closely associated; concurrently; conjointly: Doctors and nurses work hand in hand to save lives.
57.
hand in one's checks, Chiefly British. cash(def. 7).
58.
hand it to, Informal. to give just credit to; pay respect to: You have to hand it to her for getting the work out.
59.
hand over fist, speedily; increasingly: He owns a chain of restaurants and makes money hand over fist.
60.
hands down,
a.
effortlessly; easily: He won the championship hands down.
b.
indisputably; incontestably: It was hands down the best race I've ever seen.
61.
hands off! don't touch, strike, or interfere! keep away from!: Hands off my stereo!
62.
hands up! hold your hands above your head! give up!
63.
hand to hand, in direct combat; at close quarters: The troops fought hand to hand.
64.
have a hand in, to have a share in; participate in: It is impossible that she could have had a hand in this notorious crime.
65.
have one's hands full, to have a large or excessive amount of work to handle; be constantly busy: The personnel department has its hands full trying to process the growing number of applications.
66.
hold hands, to join hands with another person as a token of affection: They have been seen holding hands in public.
67.
in hand,
a.
under control: He kept the situation well in hand.
b.
in one's possession: cash in hand.
c.
in the process of consideration or settlement: regarding the matter in hand.
68.
join hands, to unite in a common cause; combine: The democracies must join hands in order to survive.
69.
keep one's hand in, to continue to practice: He turned the business over to his sons, but he keeps his hand in it. I just play enough golf to keep my hand in.
70.
lay one's hands on,
a.
to obtain; acquire: I wish I could lay my hands on a good used piano.
b.
to seize, esp. in order to punish: He wanted to lay his hands on the person who had backed into his car.
c.
to impose the hands in a ceremonial fashion, as in ordination: The bishop laid hands on the candidates.
71.
lend or give a hand, to lend assistance; help out: Lend a hand and we'll finish the job in no time.
72.
lift a hand, to exert any effort: She wouldn't lift a hand to help anyone. Also, lift a finger.
73.
off one's hands,
a.
out of one's charge or care: Now, with their children grown and off their hands, they will be free to travel.
b.
successfully completed; finished: The lawyer planned a vacation as soon as the case was off his hands.
74.
on all hands,
a.
by everyone; universally: It was decided on all hands to take an excursion.
b.
on every side; all around: piercing glances on all hands.
Also, on every hand.
75.
on hand,
a.
in one's possession; at one's disposal: cash on hand.
b.
about to occur; imminent: A change of government may be on hand.
c.
present: There were not enough members on hand to constitute a quorum.
76.
on the other hand, from another side or aspect; conversely: It was an unfortunate experience, but, on the other hand, one can learn from one's mistakes.
77.
on or upon one's hands, under one's care or management; as one's responsibility: He was left with a large surplus on his hands.
78.
out of hand,
a.
beyond control: to let one's temper get out of hand.
b.
without delay; at once: The crisis obliged him to act out of hand.
c.
no longer in process; finished: The case has been out of hand for some time.
d.
without consideration or deliberation: to reject a proposal out of hand.
79.
shake hands, to clasp another's hand in greeting, congratulation, or agreement: They shook hands on the proposed partnership.
80.
show one's hand, to disclose or display one's true intentions or motives: The impending revolution forced him to show his hand.
81.
sit on one's hands,
a.
to be unenthusiastic or unappreciative; fail to applaud: It was a lively show, but the audience sat on its hands.
b.
to take no action; be passive or hesitant: While he was being beaten, the others sat on their hands.
82.
take a hand in, to take part in; participate in: If the strike continues, the government will have to take a hand in the negotiations.
83.
take in hand,
a.
to undertake responsibility for; assume charge: When both parents died, an uncle took the youngster in hand.
b.
to deal with; treat of: We'll take the matter in hand at the next meeting.
84.
throw up one's hands, to admit one's inadequacy, exasperation, or failure; despair: When the general received reports of an enemy build-up, he threw up his hands.
85.
tie one's hands, to render one powerless to act; thwart: The provisions of the will tied his hands. Also, have one's hands tied.
86.
tip one's hand, to reveal one's plans or intentions before the propitious time.
87.
to hand,
a.
within reach; accessible or nearby.
b.
into one's possession: A search of the attic brought some valuable antiques to hand.
88.
try one's hand (at), to test one's skill or aptitude for: After becoming a successful painter, he decided to try his hand at sculpture.
89.
turn or put one's hand to, to set to work at; busy oneself with: He turned his hand successfully to gardening.
90.
wash one's hands of, to disclaim any further responsibility for; renounce interest in or support of: I washed my hands of the entire affair.
91.
with a heavy hand,
a.
with severity; oppressively: The law will punish offenders with a heavy hand.
b.
in a clumsy manner; awkwardly; gracelessly: The play was directed with a heavy hand.
92.
with a high hand, in an arrogant or dictatorial manner; arbitrarily: He ran the organization with a high hand.
Origin: bef. 900; ME, OE; c. D, G Hand, ON hǫnd, Goth handus
The terminal part of the human arm located below the forearm, used for grasping and holding and consisting of the wrist, palm, four fingers, and an opposable thumb.
A homologous or similar part in other animals, as the terminal part of the forelimb in certain vertebrates.
Any of the rotating pointers used as indexes on the face of a mechanical clock.
A pointer, as on a gauge or dial.
A style or individual sample of writing.
A signature: put my hand to the contract.
The cards held in a card game by a given player at any time.
The number of cards dealt each player; the deal.
A player or participant in a card game: We need a fourth hand for bridge.
A portion or section of a game during which all the cards dealt out are played: a hand of poker.
One who performs manual labor: a factory hand.
One who is part of a group or crew: the ship's hands.
The degree of immediacy of a source of information; degree of reliability: heard the scandalous tale at third hand.
The strength or force of one's position: negotiated from a strong hand.
Possession, ownership, or keeping. Often used in the plural: The books should be in your hands by noon.
Power; jurisdiction; care: The defendant's fate is in the hands of the jury. Dinner is in the chef's hands.
Involvement or participation: "In all this was evident the hand of the counterrevolutionaries"(John Reed).
An influence or effect: The manager had a hand in all major decisions.
Evidence of craft or artistic skill: can see the hand of a genius even in the lighter poems.
Permission or a promise, especially a pledge to wed.
A commitment or agreement, especially when sealed by a handshake; one's word: You have my hand on that.
A unit of length equal to 4 inches (10.2 centimeters), used especially to specify the height of a horse.
Something suggesting the shape or function of the human hand, especially:
Any of the rotating pointers used as indexes on the face of a mechanical clock.
A pointer, as on a gauge or dial.
A style or individual sample of writing.
A signature: put my hand to the contract.
The cards held in a card game by a given player at any time.
The number of cards dealt each player; the deal.
A player or participant in a card game: We need a fourth hand for bridge.
A portion or section of a game during which all the cards dealt out are played: a hand of poker.
One who performs manual labor: a factory hand.
One who is part of a group or crew: the ship's hands.
The degree of immediacy of a source of information; degree of reliability: heard the scandalous tale at third hand.
The strength or force of one's position: negotiated from a strong hand.
Possession, ownership, or keeping. Often used in the plural: The books should be in your hands by noon.
Power; jurisdiction; care: The defendant's fate is in the hands of the jury. Dinner is in the chef's hands.
Involvement or participation: "In all this was evident the hand of the counterrevolutionaries"(John Reed).
An influence or effect: The manager had a hand in all major decisions.
Evidence of craft or artistic skill: can see the hand of a genius even in the lighter poems.
Permission or a promise, especially a pledge to wed.
A commitment or agreement, especially when sealed by a handshake; one's word: You have my hand on that.
Lateral direction indicated according to the way in which one is facing: at my right hand.
A style or individual sample of writing.
A signature: put my hand to the contract.
The cards held in a card game by a given player at any time.
The number of cards dealt each player; the deal.
A player or participant in a card game: We need a fourth hand for bridge.
A portion or section of a game during which all the cards dealt out are played: a hand of poker.
One who performs manual labor: a factory hand.
One who is part of a group or crew: the ship's hands.
The degree of immediacy of a source of information; degree of reliability: heard the scandalous tale at third hand.
The strength or force of one's position: negotiated from a strong hand.
Possession, ownership, or keeping. Often used in the plural: The books should be in your hands by noon.
Power; jurisdiction; care: The defendant's fate is in the hands of the jury. Dinner is in the chef's hands.
Involvement or participation: "In all this was evident the hand of the counterrevolutionaries"(John Reed).
An influence or effect: The manager had a hand in all major decisions.
Evidence of craft or artistic skill: can see the hand of a genius even in the lighter poems.
Permission or a promise, especially a pledge to wed.
A commitment or agreement, especially when sealed by a handshake; one's word: You have my hand on that.
A round of applause to signify approval.
Physical assistance; help: gave me a hand with the bags.
handsSports A handball in soccer.
Games
The cards held in a card game by a given player at any time.
The number of cards dealt each player; the deal.
A player or participant in a card game: We need a fourth hand for bridge.
A portion or section of a game during which all the cards dealt out are played: a hand of poker.
One who performs manual labor: a factory hand.
One who is part of a group or crew: the ship's hands.
The degree of immediacy of a source of information; degree of reliability: heard the scandalous tale at third hand.
The strength or force of one's position: negotiated from a strong hand.
Possession, ownership, or keeping. Often used in the plural: The books should be in your hands by noon.
Power; jurisdiction; care: The defendant's fate is in the hands of the jury. Dinner is in the chef's hands.
Involvement or participation: "In all this was evident the hand of the counterrevolutionaries"(John Reed).
An influence or effect: The manager had a hand in all major decisions.
Evidence of craft or artistic skill: can see the hand of a genius even in the lighter poems.
Permission or a promise, especially a pledge to wed.
A commitment or agreement, especially when sealed by a handshake; one's word: You have my hand on that.
One who performs manual labor: a factory hand.
One who is part of a group or crew: the ship's hands.
The degree of immediacy of a source of information; degree of reliability: heard the scandalous tale at third hand.
The strength or force of one's position: negotiated from a strong hand.
Possession, ownership, or keeping. Often used in the plural: The books should be in your hands by noon.
Power; jurisdiction; care: The defendant's fate is in the hands of the jury. Dinner is in the chef's hands.
Involvement or participation: "In all this was evident the hand of the counterrevolutionaries"(John Reed).
An influence or effect: The manager had a hand in all major decisions.
Evidence of craft or artistic skill: can see the hand of a genius even in the lighter poems.
Permission or a promise, especially a pledge to wed.
A commitment or agreement, especially when sealed by a handshake; one's word: You have my hand on that.
A participant in an activity, often one who specializes in a particular activity or pursuit: an old hand at labor negotiations.
The degree of immediacy of a source of information; degree of reliability: heard the scandalous tale at third hand.
The strength or force of one's position: negotiated from a strong hand.
Possession, ownership, or keeping. Often used in the plural: The books should be in your hands by noon.
Power; jurisdiction; care: The defendant's fate is in the hands of the jury. Dinner is in the chef's hands.
Involvement or participation: "In all this was evident the hand of the counterrevolutionaries"(John Reed).
An influence or effect: The manager had a hand in all major decisions.
Evidence of craft or artistic skill: can see the hand of a genius even in the lighter poems.
Permission or a promise, especially a pledge to wed.
A commitment or agreement, especially when sealed by a handshake; one's word: You have my hand on that.
Possession, ownership, or keeping. Often used in the plural: The books should be in your hands by noon.
Power; jurisdiction; care: The defendant's fate is in the hands of the jury. Dinner is in the chef's hands.
Involvement or participation: "In all this was evident the hand of the counterrevolutionaries"(John Reed).
An influence or effect: The manager had a hand in all major decisions.
Evidence of craft or artistic skill: can see the hand of a genius even in the lighter poems.
Permission or a promise, especially a pledge to wed.
A commitment or agreement, especially when sealed by a handshake; one's word: You have my hand on that.
Involvement or participation: "In all this was evident the hand of the counterrevolutionaries"(John Reed).
An influence or effect: The manager had a hand in all major decisions.
Evidence of craft or artistic skill: can see the hand of a genius even in the lighter poems.
Permission or a promise, especially a pledge to wed.
A commitment or agreement, especially when sealed by a handshake; one's word: You have my hand on that.
An aptitude or ability: I tried my hand at decorating.
The aesthetic feel or tactile quality of something, such as a fabric, textile, or carpeting, that indicates its fineness, texture, and durability.
A manner or way of performing something: a light hand with makeup.
Permission or a promise, especially a pledge to wed.
A commitment or agreement, especially when sealed by a handshake; one's word: You have my hand on that.
v.
hand·ed, hand·ing, hands
v.
tr.
To give or pass with or as if with the hands; transmit: Hand me your keys.
To aid, direct, or conduct with the hands: The usher handed the patron to a reserved seat.
Nautical To roll up and secure (a sail); furl.
Sports
To give (the ball) directly to a teammate, as in football. Often used with off.
To carry, strike, or propel (the ball) with the hand or arm in violation of the rules in soccer.
v.
intr.Sports
To make a handoff, as in football. Often used with off.
Phrasal Verbs:
hand down
To bequeath to one's heirs.
To make and pronounce (an official decision, especially a court verdict).
To distribute freely; disseminate.
To administer or deal out.
Phrasal Verb(s): hand down
To bequeath to one's heirs.
To make and pronounce (an official decision, especially a court verdict).
hand onTo turn over to another. hand out
To distribute freely; disseminate.
To administer or deal out.
hand overTo release or relinquish to another. hand upTo deliver (an indictment) to a higher judicial authority.
Idiom(s):
at hand
Close by; near.
Soon in time; imminent: Retribution is at hand.
Idiom(s):
at the hand/hands ofBy or through the agency of: favors he received at the hands of his uncle.
Idiom(s):
by handBy using the hands; manually.
Idiom(s):
get/lay (one's) hands onTo get possessioon of; acquire or obtain.
Idiom(s):
hand and footWith concerted, never-ending effort: had to wait on them hand and foot.
Idiom(s):
hand in/and gloveOn intimate terms or in close association: "The folklore of American academia says that publishing and teaching go hand in glove"(Edward B. Fiske).
Idiom(s):
hand in handIn cooperation; jointly.
Idiom(s):
hand it to Informal To give credit to: You've got to hand it to her; she knows what she's doing.
Idiom(s):
hand over fistAt a tremendous rate: made money hand over fist.
Idiom(s):
hands down
With no trouble; easily.
Indisputably; unquestionably.
Idiom(s):
in hand
In one's possession: arrived with the contract in hand.
Under control: kept the tense situation in hand.
Under consideration: gave her attention to the matter in hand.
In preparation or process: With the work finally in hand, we began to see progress.
Sports Remaining to be played by one team but not by another: Their team is ahead in the standings, but our team has two games in hand.
Idiom(s):
off (one's) handsNo longer under one's jurisdiction, within one's responsibility, or in one's care: We finally got that project off our hands.
Idiom(s):
on hand
Present; available: Are there enough people on hand to hold a meeting?
About to happen; imminent; What is on hand for this evening?
Idiom(s):
on/upon (one's) handsIn one's possession, often as an imposed responsibility or burden: Now they have the grandchildren on their hands.
Idiom(s):
on the one handAs one point of view; from one standpoint.
Idiom(s):
on the other handAs another point of view; from another standpoint.
Idiom(s):
out of hand
Out of control: Employee absenteeism has gotten out of hand.
At once; immediately.
Over and done with; finished.
Uncalled for or improper; indiscreet.
Idiom(s):
to hand
Nearby.
In one's possession.
[Middle English, from Old English.] hand'er n., hand'less adj.
tv. to tell someone something; to tell someone nonsense. : She handed me a line about being a famous author.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History
hand
O.E. hond, from P.Gmc. *khanduz (cf. O.S., O.Fris., Du., Ger. hand, O.N. hönd, Goth. handus). The original O.E. plural handa was superseded in M.E. by handen, later hands. Meaning "person who does something with his hands" is from 1590, hence "hired workman" (1655) and "sailor in a ship's crew" (1669). Clock and watch sense is from 1575. Meaning "round of applause" is from 1838. The linear measure of 4 inches (originally 3) is from 1561, now used only in giving the height of horses. The meaning "playing cards held in one player's hand" is from 1630; that of "a round at a card game" is from 1622. The verb is from 1642. First hand, second hand, etc. (1439) are from the notion of something being passed down from hand to hand. Out of hand (1597) is opposite of in hand "under control" (c.1200). Hand over fist (1825) is suggestive of sailors and fishermen hauling in nets. Hands-on (adj.) is first recorded 1969; hands-off (adj.) is from 1902. Hand-jive is from 1958. Hand job is 1940s; hand-me-down as a modifier is first recorded 1874. To win something hands down (1867) is from horse racing, from a jockey's gesture of letting the reins go loose in an easy victory. To hand it to (someone) "acknowledge someone's ability" is slang from c.1906. Handy is from c.1310; handful was in O.E. Phrase on the one hand ... on the other hand is recorded from 1638, a fig. use of the physical sense of hand in reference to position on one side or the other side of the body (as in the lefthand side), which goes back to O.E. Hands up! as a command from a policeman, robber, etc., is from 1873. Hand-to-mouth is from 1509.
Main Entry: hand Pronunciation: 'hand Function: noun often attributive1 a (1) : the terminal part of the vertebrate forelimb when modified (asin humans) as a grasping organ (2) : the forelimb segment (as the terminal section of a bird's wing) of a vertebrate higher than the fishes that corresponds to the hand irrespective of itsform or functional specialization b: a part serving the function of or resembling a hand; especially: the hind foot of an ape c: somethingresembling a hand; especially: an indicator or pointer on a dial 2: a unit of measure equal to 4 inches or 10.2 centimeters used especially for the height ofhorses
The terminal part of the human arm located below the forearm, used for grasping and holding and consisting of the wrist, palm, four fingers, and an opposable thumb.
[hand] 
