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underhand

 - 3 dictionary results

un⋅der⋅hand

  [uhn-der-hand]
Use underhand in a Sentence
–adjective
1. not open and aboveboard; secret and crafty or dishonorable: an underhand deal with the chief of police.
2. executed with the hand below the level of the shoulder and the palm turned upward and forward: an underhand delivery of a ball.
–adverb
3. with the hand below the level of the shoulder and the palm turned upward and forward: to bowl underhand.
4. secretly; stealthily; slyly.
Origin:
bef. 900; 1530–40 for def. 1; ME under hande (adv.) under rule, OE underhand. See under-, hand

Synonyms:
1. stealthy, sly, clandestine, surreptitious.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To underhand
un·der·hand   (ŭn'dər-hānd')   
adj.  

  1. Marked by or done in a deceptive, secret, or sly manner; dishonest and sneaky. See Synonyms at secret.

  2. Sports Executed with the hand brought forward and up from below the level of the shoulder; underarm: an underhand pitch.

adv.  

  1. With an underhand movement: Throw the ball underhand.

  2. In a sly and secret way.

un'der·hand' n., un'der·hand'ed·ly adv., un'der·hand'ed·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

underhand  (adv.)
O.E. under hand "in subjection," from under + hand. Sense of "secret, stealthy, surreptitious" first recorded 1538. For sense development, cf. M.Du. onderhanden "by degrees, slowly," Du. onderhandsch "secret, private." The adj. is attested from 1545.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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