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hand

Pronunciation: /hand/
Translate hand | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of hand

noun

  • 1the end part of a person’s arm beyond the wrist, including the palm, fingers, and thumb:the palm of her hand he was leading her by the hand
  • a prehensile organ resembling the hand and forming the end part of a limb of various mammals, such as that on all four limbs of a monkey.
  • West Indian a person’s arm, including the hand: that dog bite me on mi hand, right below the elbow
  • [as modifier] operated by or held in the hand:hand luggage
  • [as modifier or in combination] done or made manually rather than by machine:hand signals a hand-stitched quilt
  • [in singular] informal a round of applause:his fans gave him a big hand
  • a person’s handwriting:he inscribed the statement in a bold hand
  • dated a pledge of marriage by a woman:he wrote to request the hand of her daughter in marriage
  • 2something resembling a hand in form, in particular:
  • a bunch of bananas: mottled hands of bananas
  • British a forehock of pork.
  • 3a pointer on a clock or watch indicating the passing of units of time:the second hand
  • 4 (hands) used in reference to the power to direct something:the day-to-day running of the house was in her hands they are taking the law into their own hands
  • (usually a hand) an active role in achieving or influencing something:he had a big hand in organizing the event
  • (usually a hand) help in doing something:do you need a hand?
  • 5a person’s workmanship, especially in artistic work:his idiosyncratic hand
  • [with adjective] a person who does something to a specified standard:I’m a great hand at inventing
  • 6a person who engages in manual labour, especially in a factory, on a farm, or on board a ship:a factory hand the ship was lost with all hands
  • 7the set of cards dealt to a player in a card game: he’s got a good hand figurativethe situation does not give them a strong hand at the negotiating table
  • a round or short spell of play in a card game:they played a hand of whist
  • Bridge the cards held by a declarer as opposed to those in the dummy: declarer won in hand and led ♣J
  • 8a unit of measurement of a horse’s height, equal to 4 inches (10.16 cm).
    [denoting the breadth of a hand, formerly used as a more general lineal measure and taken to equal three inches]

verb

  • 1 [with two objects] pick (something) up and give it to (someone):he handed each man a glass I handed the trowel back to him
  • 2 [with object and adverbial of direction] hold the hand of (someone) in order to guide them in a specified direction:he handed them into the carriage
  • 3 [with object] Sailing take in or furl (a sail):hand in the main!

Phrases

all hands on deck

a cry or signal used on board ship, typically in an emergency, to indicate that all crew members are to go on deck.
used to indicate that the involvement of all members of a team is required:it was all hands on deck getting breakfast ready

at hand

close by:a mortar burst close at hand
readily accessible when needed: doctors can have vaccines at hand to immunize any child who comes for treatment
close in time; about to happen:a breakthrough in combating the disease may be at hand

at (or by) the hands (or hand) of

through the agency of:he will undergo tests at the hands of a senior neurologist

bind (or tie) someone hand and foot

tie someone’s hands and feet together.

by hand

by a person and not a machine:the crop has to be harvested by hand
(of mail) delivered in person rather than posted: he drafted a statement and sent it by hand

get (or keep) one's hand in

become (or remain) practised in something: I like to keep my hand in by catering for private functions

get (or lay)one's hands on

find or get something:I haven’t got my hands on a copy yet

give (or lend) a hand

assist in an action or enterprise: the policemen lent a hand in getting the stretcher up the steps

hand in glove

in close collusion or association:they were working hand in glove with our enemies

hand in hand

(of two people) with hands joined, especially as a mark of affection: walking hand in hand with my father down the street
closely associated or connected:she had the confidence that usually goes hand in hand with experience

hand someone something on a plate

informal make something very easily obtainable for someone:it was a win handed to him on a plate

(from) hand to mouth

satisfying only one’s immediate needs because of lack of money fo future plans and investments:they were flat broke and living hand to mouth [as modifier]:a hand-to-mouth existence

hands down

easily and decisively:Swindon won hands down

hands off

used as a warning not to touch or interfere with something:hands off that cake tin!
(as adjective hands-off) not involving or requiring direct control or intervention:a hands-off management style

hands-on

involving or offering active participation rather than theory:hands-on in-service training
Computing involving or requiring personal operation at a keyboard.

hands up!

used as an instruction to raise one’s hands in surrender or to signify assent or participation:hands up who saw the programme!

have a hand in something

be involved in doing something:the girls had a hand in writing the lyrics

have one's hands full

have as much work as one can do: I can’t do the job—I’ve got my hands full at my desk

have one's hands tied

informal be unable to act freely: he cannot have his hands tied on how his department’s money is spent

have to hand it to someone

informal used to acknowledge the merit or achievement of someone:I’ve got to hand it to you—you’ve got the magic touch

in hand

  • 1receiving or requiring immediate attention:he threw himself into the work in hand
  • in progress:negotiations are now well in hand
  • 2ready for use if required; in reserve:he had £1,000 of borrowed cash in hand
  • 3under one’s control:the police had the situation well in hand
  • (of land) farmed directly by its owner and not let to tenants.

in safe hands

protected by or in the care of someone trustworthy:the future of the cathedral is in safe hands

make (or lose or spend) money hand over fist

informal make (or lose or spend) money very rapidly: they are losing money hand over fist

many hands make light work

proverb a task is soon accomplished if several people help.

not (or never) do a hand's turn

informal do no work at all:they sit there without doing a hand’s turn

off someone's hands

not having to be dealt with or looked after by the person specified:they just want the problem off their hands

on every hand

all around:new technologies were springing up on every hand

on hand

  • 1present, especially for a specified purpose:her trainer was on hand to give advice
  • readily available: she kept stocks of delicacies on hand
  • 2needing to be dealt with:they had many urgent and pressing matters on hand

on someone's hands

  • 1used to indicate that someone is responsible for dealing with someone or something:he has a difficult job on his hands
  • used to indicate that someone is to blame for something:he has my son’s blood on his hands
  • 2at someone’s disposal:since I retired I’ve had more time on my hands

on the one (or the other) hand

used to present factors which are opposed or which support opposing opinions:a conflict between their rationally held views on the one hand and their emotions and desires on the other

out of hand

  • 1not under control: things were getting a bit out of hand at the picket line
  • 2without taking time to think:they rejected negotiations out of hand

the right hand doesn't know what the left hand's doing

used to convey that there is a state of confusion within a group or organization.

a safe pair of hands

(in a sporting context) used to refer to someone who is reliable when catching a ball: he has a safe pair of hands and made the catch look easy
used to denote someone who is capable, reliable, or trustworthy in the management of a situation: they were searching for a safe pair of hands to oversee the running of the lottery

set (or put) one's hand to

start work on: having set his hand to any task, he would see it through to the end

stay someone's hand

restrain someone from acting: his feelings made him stay his hand before announcing his decision

take a hand

become influential in determining something; intervene:fate was about to take a hand in the outcome of the championship

take someone/something in hand

deal with or take control of someone or something:their parents are incapable of taking their children in hand

talk to the hand

(also tell it to the hand)
[in imperative] informal used as a contemptuous way of dismissing what someone has said (often accompanied by a gesture in which the palm of the hand is held in front of the original speaker’s face):talk to the hand, girl, 'cos the face ain’t listening

to hand

within easy reach:have a pen and paper to hand

turn one's hand to

undertake (an activity different from one’s usual occupation): a music teacher who turned his hand to writing books

wait on someone hand and foot

attend to all someone’s needs or requests, especially when this is regarded as unreasonable: I was wallowing in the luxury of the hotel, being waited on hand and foot

with one hand (tied) behind one's back

with serious limitations or restrictions:at the moment, the police are tackling record crime rates with one hand tied behind their back

Phrasal Verbs

hand something down

  • 1pass something on to a younger person or a successor:songs are handed down from mother to daughter
  • 2announce something, especially a judgement or sentence, formally or publicly: it was the most liberal decision ever handed down by a football authority

hand something in

give something to a person in authority for their attention: we handed in a letter of protest

hand someone off

Rugby push away a tackling opponent with one’s hand.

hand something on

pass something to the next person in a series or succession:he had handed on the family farm to his son
pass responsibility for something to someone else; delegate: for most managers there is little choice but to hand on work

hand something out

  • 1give a share of something or one of a set of things to each of a number of people; distribute:Ralph handed out cigars
  • 2impose or inflict a penalty or misfortune on someone: harsher punishments are being handed out to reckless drivers

hand over

pass responsibility to someone else:he will soon hand over to a new director

hand someone/thing over

give someone or something, or the responsibility for someone or something, to someone else: her parents handed her over to be brought up by her grandparents

hand something round (or around)

offer something to each of a number of people in turn:a big box of chocolates was handed round

Derivatives

handless

adjective

Origin:

Old English hand, hond, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hand and German Hand

hand in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of hand in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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