Today we’ll be talking about words and idioms with the noun HAND. We already covered idioms with HEAD, EYE, MOUTH, TOOTH, NECK and HEART, so feel free to check them out if you haven’t already.
This article comes from issue 2 (1/2023) of Your American English Magazine. You’ll find much more interesting stuff there, I’m sure.
| Now, do you know any idioms with the noun HAND? I’m sure you could list quite a lot hands down. I can lend you a hand with that if you like. I keep a list of idioms at hand in case I need them. So, if you don’t have all the idioms to hand, you can use my list. But I think you better try your hand at finding some on your own. I’m not going to lead you by the hand. | hands down – without much effort, very easily lend/give sb a hand with sth – to help sb with sth at hand – close in distance or time to hand – available for use try your hand at sth – to try to do sth by the hand – by holding sb’s hand (also used figuratively) |
| OK, I know, coming up with examples may be hard, maybe even boring, but it’s time you got your hands dirty and wrote down some idioms. My first attempts were pretty ham-handed too, but now they aren’t so heavy-handed anymore. So, if you really need a helping hand, don’t be afraid to ask your friends. This job may require more than one pair of hands. Many hands make light work, you know. Maybe one of your friends is an old hand at solving this kind of problems. But, still, I’m sure you can do it single-handedly. | get your hands dirty – to do difficult and often unpleasant work ham-handed / ham-fisted – awkward or clumsy heavy-handed – awkward or clumsy, showing a lack of skill helping hand – help or assistance a pair of hands – a person who can help you with sth many hands make light work – used to say that if many people work on sth, it will be easier to do old hand – a person who has a lot of experience doing sth single-handed – done by one person or working alone |
| Let’s start with idioms related to money or a lack thereof. Some people are rich, others live a hand-to-mouth existence. Some people make, others lose, money hand over fist. If you lose your job, you may also live hand to mouth, buy only secondhand clothes and avoid going to parties because you don’t want to go there empty-handed. Your closet will be full of hand-me-down jackets and pants. Sure, there’s nothing wrong about hand-me-downs, but you may have no other options on hand before you get a job. | hand-to-mouth – having only enough money to survive hand over fist – used to say that sb is earning or losing money very quickly or in large amounts hand to mouth – without much money, in poverty secondhand – having had a previous owner empty-handed – without having, carrying, or bringing anything hand-me-down – owned or used by sb else before you, used especially of clothing noun: hand-me-down on hand – available for use |
| Speaking of which… I bet you know how important it is to have a decent job. So, if you don’t have one, stop sitting on your hands and take matters into your own hands. Should you take the first job you find? Well, on the one hand, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, on the other hand, you may find something better if you’re patient, unless your situation forces your hand, of course. Maybe you could go to a friend of yours, hat in hand, asking if they could help you get a job at their company. If you’re skilled, you don’t even have to do the same as before. Why not turn your hand to something new? | sit on your hands – to make no effort to deal with or respond to sth take sth into your (own) hands – to take control of sth on the one hand… on the other hand… – used to introduce statements that describe two different or opposite ideas, people, etc. a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush – used to say that it is better to hold onto sth you have than to risk losing it by trying to get sth better force sb’s hand – to make it necessary for sb to do sth hat in hand – asking or begging for sth in a respectful way turn your hand to sth – to begin doing sth usually in a skillful way, to start sth, like a new activity, field of study, etc. |
| About work… Let me see a show of hands: who is good with their hands? Who works with their bare hands? Who uses hand tools? Who can build a house bare-handed? Who can sew a dress by hand? Sometimes there are more candidates than job openings. Prepare for the job interview. You don’t want to play into the other candidates’ hands, do you? You want to lay your hands on the job. Just do your best and then wait. Time will hang heavy on your hands, you need patience. | a show of hands – an occurrence in which people put a hand in the air to indicate that they want sth, agree with something, etc. good with your hands – skillful at things that require the use of your hands with your bare hands – using only your hands and no tools or weapons hand tool – a small tool (such as a hammer or wrench) that usually does not use electricity bare-handed – with the hand or hands only, without using a tool, weapon, glove, etc. by hand – with the hands play into sb’s hands – to do sth that you do not realize will hurt you and help sb else get/lay your hands at sth/sb – to find, get, or control sth or sb hang/lie heavy on your hands – (of time) to pass very slowly |
| Hopefully, you will get the job. As a new employee you may need some hand-holding. You will be given hours of hands-on training. But they won’t hold your hand forever. When you know the business like the back of your hand, they will finally give you a free hand in doing your stuff. After some time you may even become the CEO’s right-hand man, who knows? And then, one day, as a confident and sure-handed CEO you will be hiring new employees yourself and have them eating out of your hand. But, please, don’t treat your employees high-handedly, just like you wouldn’t like to be treated that way when you start off. It’s easier to get a job when the company is shorthanded, like for example during the vacation or holiday season. They may be very openhanded if they really need you. You may even be able to hold the whip hand while negotiating your salary. Unless your new boss is the type of person who also always has to have the upper hand, naturally. | hand-holding – patient attention, support, or instruction hands-on – gained by actually doing sth rather than learning about it from books, lectures, etc. hold sb’s hand – to guide sb through a process by carefully explaining each step know sth like the back of your hand – to know sth completely a free hand – the freedom to do things and make decisions without being controlled by another right-hand man – a very important assistant who helps sb do a job sure-handed – not likely to make mistakes be eating out of sb’s hand – to be completely controlled by sb high-handed – not having or showing any interest in the rights, opinions, or feelings of other people shorthanded /ˌʃoɚtˈhændəd/ – having fewer than the usual number of people available openhanded – having or showing the quality of being very generous the whip/upper hand – the position of having power or being in control in a particular situation |
| Naturally, not all idioms are related to work. What about crime? Here’s a short story. Pam and Kelly were twin sisters. They were almost identical, with one exception: Pam was right-handed, whereas Kelly was left-handed. How was it possible? No one knew. Anyway, Pam was a writer and she worked hand in hand with Kelly, who was a proofreader. “Hands off my books!” Pam always jokingly exclaimed as soon as Kelly was starting her work. And Kelly usually had her hands full with proofreading the books because her sister made a lot of mistakes. Pam could be sure that her books were in good hands. And as time passed, there were even more mistakes in Pam’s writings; she just didn’t learn anything and was forgetting what she already had learned. There was a lot of hand-wringing over her mistakes. “I’ll have to take you in hand, young lady,” Kelly once said to her sister. She was angry because she had a hand in the writing process, more than ever before, and Pam didn’t even put her name on the cover. With all that extra work on her hands she barely had time for herself. This is when things started getting out of hand. “Put my name next to yours as the coauthor!” Kelly demanded. But Pam rejected her demand out of hand. Pam and Kelly’s house was pretty big. It had changed hands many times since it was built. Finally, about fifty years ago, it fell into the hands of Pam and Kelly’s parents. The father was killed in an accident a short time afterward and his wife, the twins’ mother, died by her own hand. Her suicide came as a shock to the young women. They decided to join hands and work together. Pam started writing books, her head was full of ideas. Kelly was good at grammar, so she became her sister’s proofreader. At that time she didn’t know that she would ever lay a hand on Pam. And this is what actually happened. | right-handed – using the right hand more easily than the left hand left-handed – using the left hand more easily than the right hand hand in hand – used to say that two people or things are very closely connected or related hands off – used as a command to tell sb not to touch sth have your hands full – to be very busy in good/safe hands – being taken care of very well hand-wringing – worried talk or behavior person: handwringer take sb in hand – to begin to guide or direct sb who has been behaving badly have a hand in sth – to be involved in sth on your hands – used to say that you have sth or are responsible for sth out of hand 1 – not controlled 2 – very quickly without serious thought change hands – to go from one owner to another fall into the hands of sb – to come to be held or possessed by by your own hand – by your own actions join hands – to hold the hand of another person, often used figuratively lay a hand on sb – to touch or harm sb |
| When Pam refused to put Kelly’s name next to hers on the cover, Kelly got furious. There was a small room on the left-hand side of the hall. Kelly led her sister there to, as she put it, show her something. She even held hands with her as they were walking there, so Pam didn’t suspect anything. When they got there, Kelly told Pam to sit down on a chair in the right-hand corner of the room. “We’re going to play a little game now, sister,” she said. Pam didn’t figure out Kelly’s sleight of hand and before she could do anything, she was tied hand and foot. “What are you doing?” she asked. “I didn’t want to do that, but my hands are tied,” Kelly responded. “You must be kidding. My hands are tied, not yours,” Pam added. | left-hand – located closer to your left hand, located on the left side hold hands – to hold a person’s hand in one of your hands for a period of time right-hand – located closer to your right hand, located on the right side sleight /ˈslaɪt-/ of hand – quick or deceptive hand movements that are used especially to perform magic tricks or the act of tricking or deceiving sb in a clever way hand and foot – used to describe sb whose hands and feet are tied to prevent escape or movement hands are tied – used to say that you cannot do anything about a situation because you do not have the power to act freely |
| Kelly thought she had the situation well in hand. She had her sister in the palm of her hand. “Now you will do whatever I tell you to do,” Kelly said. “You’re putty in my hands now.” “Just keep your hands off my books. I don’t want you to proofread for me anymore,” Pam said. “It’s a good business and I’m going to keep my hand in it. As a proofreader and coauthor,” Kelly demanded. “The decision is out of your hands, sister, I’ll find a new proofreader and you will go to jail if you don’t untie me immediately,” Pam said. “We’ll see,” Kelly responded and left the room. Suffering at the hands of her cruel sister, Pam was trying to figure out what to do. “I wish I had a hands-free cell phone,” she thought to herself. “I could call the police.” But she didn’t have the phone at hand. “I would work hand in glove with the police to punish my sister,” she continued. “They would get a firsthand account from me.” What’s worse, Kelly got her hands on Pam’s manuscripts. Pam had always feared that one day her books could fall into the wrong hands, but she didn’t mean her sister. “Who knows what she’s going to do now?” Pam wondered. At one moment Pam noticed a big two-handed saw leaning against the wall in the opposite corner of the room. She managed to hop across the room on the chair and started rubbing the rope against the saw. After a while she was free. Kelly heard the noise and wanted to prevent Pam from escaping. There was some hand-to-hand fighting, but Pam managed to run away. She ran to the police station. | in hand – in your possession or control have sb in the palm of your hand – to have control or influence over sb, to be able to control sb easily putty /ˈpʌti/ in your hands – sb you are able to control easily keep/get your hands off (of) sth – to not touch sth keep your hand in (sth) – to continue to be involved in some activity out of your hands – used to say that you cannot control sth at the hand(s) of sb/sth – by or through the action of sb/sth hands-free – designed to be used without being held in your hands hand in glove – very closely firsthand – coming directly from actually experiencing or seeing sth fall into the wrong hands – to come to be held or possessed by the wrong person or group two-handed – using or needing both hands or needing two people hand-to-hand – involving physical contact between people — used to describe fighting that is done with the hands or with knives, clubs, etc., instead of guns, arrows, etc. |
| “I wish she’d been caught red-handed. Now she will grease the hand of Paul Wallace, the police officer, to get away with this,” Pam thought to herself. “Who is he going to believe, me or her? Paul went to school with Kelly and seems to like her a lot. I can’t stand the way he waits on her hand and foot! Maybe I shouldn’t go,” Pam thought. But she did go. Paul was very polite and listened carefully. He was looking at Pam’s dishpan hands and, recalling the smooth and soft hands of her sister, realized that Pam was the one to do all the hard work at home. This was true. Indeed, Kelly had never offered to get some of that work off Pam’s hands. She would always say: “I’m washing my hands of this mess.” It had always been Pam who rubbed the floor on her hands and knees and who did all the writing work. Paul decided to believe Pam. They soon got married and lived happily ever after. And Kelly went to prison. | red-handed – while doing sth wrong or illegal grease the hand/palm of sb – to give sb money for doing sth illegal or dishonest for you wait on sb hand and foot – to provide everything that sb needs or wants dishpan hands – hands that are red, rough, and sore because of washing a lot of dishes off your hands – no longer in your possession or no longer your responsibility wash your hands of sth – to say or decide that you will no longer deal with or be responsible for sb or sth because you are angry, disgusted, etc., to refuse to be involved with sth or sb anymore on your hands and knees – with your hands and knees on the ground, in a crawling position |
| Well, is this story true? Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t. I didn’t have a chance to verify it at first hand. I only know that Paul used to be a politician. He always traveled with just his hand luggage and had a hands-off approach to the work of his assistants. I often saw him glad-handing his voters. In his spare time he played tennis. He was known for his beautiful one-handed backhand. | at first hand – in a direct way hand luggage/baggage – small pieces of luggage that a passenger can carry onto an airplane hands-off – allowing people to do what they want to do without bothering or stopping them glad-hand – to give a friendly welcome or greeting to people as a way of getting approval one-handed – done using only one hand |