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| hand [ hand ] |
noun (plural hands) |
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| Definition: |
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1. end of human arm: the part of the human arm below the wrist, consisting of a thumb, four fingers, and a palm and capable of holding and manipulating things
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2. animal part corresponding to human hand: the part of an animal's limb that corresponds to a human hand in shape or function
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3. pointer on clock: a pointer on a clock, watch, dial, or gauge
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4. player's cards: the cards dealt to a player in a card game
  a losing hand
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5. round in card game: a round in a card game
played one last hand of bridge
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6. card player: somebody who plays a card game
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7. part in doing something: a share in the performance of an action
Who else had a hand in this?
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8. help: help to do something
Give me a hand.
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9. offer of agreement: a sign of agreement or acceptance, especially of an offer of marriage
Here's my hand on it.
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10. side: side or direction
surrounded by enemies at every hand
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11. clap: a round of applause
a big hand for our next contestant
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12. possession or power: the possession, power, responsibility, or care of somebody
(
usually used in the plural
)
Your future is in your own hands.
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13. degree of closeness to source: a degree of closeness to actual involvement in something being talked about
I heard about it third hand.
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14. member of ship's crew: a member of the crew of a vessel
Attention, all hands!
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15. somebody doing or making something: a maker or doer of something, especially to a particular level of competence or experience
I'm an old hand at this.
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16. worker: a worker, especially one doing manual or farm work
a ranch hand
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17. handwriting: somebody's handwriting
an admirably clear hand
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18. skill: ability or skill
She has a good hand for gardening.
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19. approach or method: a distinctive way of doing something
This drawing is executed with the hand of a master.
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20. U.S. textiles fabric texture: the feel of a textile, used to determine its quality.
Canadian term handle
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21. show jumping measure of horse's height: a measure of the height of a horse, equal to 10.2 cm (4 in)
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verb (past and past participle hand·ed, present participle hand·ing, 3rd person present singular hands) |
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| Definition: |
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1. transitive verb pass something by hand: to pass something to somebody by hand
She handed me a glass.
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2. transitive verb lead somebody by hand: to help or lead somebody by the hand
She handed her aunt into the taxi.
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3. transitive and intransitive verb sailing furl: to furl a sail
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| [ Old English< Germanic] |
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all hands on deck
1. used as a call or signal for all members of a ship's crew to assemble on deck, e.g. in an emergency
2. used to indicate that help is required from everybody available
When the truck arrives, we'll need all hands on deck.
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at hand
1. nearby
2. about to happen
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by hand not using a machine
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change hands to pass to a different owner
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force somebody's hand to pressure somebody to do something against his or her will or earlier than planned
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(from) hand to mouth with barely enough to live on for your daily needs
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hand in glove in cooperation with somebody, usually for some secret or illegal purpose
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hand in hand
1. in close cooperation
2. inseparably closely
3. holding hands
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hand over fist in large quantities or amounts
losing money hand over fist
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hold somebody's hand to provide reassurance, guidance, and support to somebody
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in hand
1. under control
2. remaining or unused
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not turn a hand to make no attempt to help somebody
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off somebody's hands no longer somebody's responsibility or problem
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on hand near and available
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on the one hand...on the other hand... used to present two conflicting aspects of a situation
On the one hand we have plenty of time, but on the other hand our resources are limited.
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out of hand
1. out of control
The situation's getting out of hand.
2. immediately and without consideration or explanation
My suggestions were dismissed out of hand.
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out of somebody's hands unable to be influenced by somebody
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overplay your hand to make overconfident use of an advantage and fail as a result
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put your hand up to
1. to volunteer to do something
If you want to get into this type of work, put your hand up to do unpaid work experience.
2. to acknowledge or accept something
You have an ethical and professional obligation to put your hand up to this problem.
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show or tip your hand to reveal your plans or intentions
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take somebody or something in hand to begin to bring somebody or something under control
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throw in your hand
1. to admit defeat in a card game by laying your cards down
2. to admit or accept defeat
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to hand close by
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try your hand at something to make an attempt at something, usually for the first time
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turn your hand to something to do something for the first time and be competent at it
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wait on somebody hand and foot to attend to somebody's every need, often with bad grace
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wash your hands of somebody or something to refuse to continue being responsible for somebody or something
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