handnoun
tay, bàn tay, trao tay, truyền cho
/hand/Related words and phrases
Idioms
all hands on deck(saying, humorous)everyone helps or must help, especially in a difficult situation
There are 30 people coming to dinner tonight, so it's all hands on deck. (close/near) at handclose to you in time or distance
Help was at hand.The property is ideally located with all local amenities close at hand. at the hands of somebody | at somebody’s hands(formal)if you experience something at the hands of somebody, they are the cause of it
They suffered years of repression at the hands of the old regime. be good with your handsto show skill at making or doing things with your hands
bind/tie somebody hand and footto tie somebody’s hands and feet together so that they cannot move or escape
to prevent somebody from doing what they want by creating rules, limits, etc.
a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush(saying)it is better to keep something that you already have than to risk losing it by trying to get much more
bite the hand that feeds youto harm somebody who has helped you or supported you
by handby a person rather than a machine
The fabric was painted by hand.Delicate clothes should be washed by hand.We can apply the power of computational tools in solving mathematical problems that cannot be solved by hand.if a letter is delivered by hand, it is delivered by the person who wrote it, or somebody who is sent by them, rather than by post
cash in hand(British English, informal)if you pay for goods and services cash in hand, you pay in cash, especially so that the person being paid can avoid paying tax on the amount
a cash-in-hand payment of £20 change handsto pass to a different owner
The house has changed hands several times. close at handnear; in a place where somebody/something can be reached easily
There are good cafes and a restaurant close at hand. the dead hand of somethingan influence that controls or limits something
We need to free business from the dead hand of bureaucracy. the devil makes work for idle hands(saying)people who do not have enough to do often start to do wrong
She blamed the crimes on the local jobless teenagers. ‘The devil makes work for idle hands,’ she would say. eat out of your/somebody’s handto trust somebody and be willing to do what they say
She'll have them eating out of her hand in no time. fall into somebody’s hands/the hands of somebody(formal)to become controlled by somebody
The town fell into enemy hands.We don't want this document falling into the wrong hands.After the war, the hotel fell into the hands of an American consortium. a firm handstrong control or discipline
Those children need a firm hand to make them behave. (at) first handby experiencing, seeing, etc. something yourself rather than being told about it by somebody else
The President visited the area to see the devastation at first hand. fold your handsto bring or hold your hands together
She kept her hands folded in her lap. force somebody’s handto make somebody do something that they do not want to do or make them do it sooner than they had intended
They decided to strike to force the management’s hand. gain, get, have, etc. the upper handto get an advantage over somebody so that you are in control of a particular situation
get your hands dirtyto do physical work
He's not frightened of getting his hands dirty. get, have, etc. a free handto get, have, etc. the opportunity to do what you want to do and to make your own decisions
I was given a free hand in designing the syllabus. give somebody/get a big handto show your approval of somebody by clapping your hands; to be applauded in this way
Ladies and gentlemen, let’s give a big hand to our special guests tonight. go cap in hand (to somebody)to ask somebody for something, especially money, in a very polite way that makes you seem less important
There’s no way he’ll go cap in hand to his brother. somebody’s hand (in marriage)(old-fashioned)permission to marry somebody, especially a woman
He asked the general for his daughter's hand in marriage. hand in glove (with somebody)working closely with somebody, especially in a secret and/or illegal way
hand in handif two people are hand in hand, they are holding each other’s hand
They walked through the park hand in hand.if two things go hand in hand, they are closely connected and one thing causes the other
Poverty and poor health often go hand in hand. hands down(informal)easily and without any doubt
They won hands down.It is hands down the best movie this year. (get/take/keep your) hands off (something/somebody)(informal)used to tell somebody not to touch something/somebody
Get your hands off my wife!Hey, hands off! That's my drink!She warned her brother to keep his hands off her bag. hands up!used to tell a group of people to raise one hand in the air if they know the answer to a question, etc.
Hands up all those who want to go swimming.used by somebody who is threatening people with a gun to tell them to raise both hands in the air
have somebody’s blood on your handsto be responsible for somebody’s death
a dictator with the blood of thousands on his hands have your hands fullto be very busy or too busy to do something else
She certainly has her hands full with four kids in the house. have your hands tiedto be unable to do what you want to do because of rules, promises, etc.
I really wish I could help but my hands are tied. have somebody in the palm of your handto have complete control or influence over somebody
Even before he plays a note, he has the audience in the palm of his hand. have time on your hands | have time to kill(informal)to have nothing to do or not be busy
have/hold, etc. the whip hand (over somebody/something)to be in a position where you have power or control over somebody/something
She had the whip hand and it was useless to resist. heavy handa way of doing something or of treating people that is much stronger and less sensitive than it needs to be
the heavy hand of management hold somebody’s handto give somebody support in a difficult situation
Do you want me to come along and hold your hand? hold/put your hands up (to something)to admit that you have made a mistake or are responsible for something bad
I have to hold my hands up and admit that some of the problems have been all my own fault.The solicitor confirmed that his clients were holding their hands up to the offences. in somebody’s capable, safe, etc. handsbeing taken care of or dealt with by somebody that you think you can rely on
Can I leave these queries in your capable hands?He retired feeling confident that his company was in safe hands. in handif you have time or money in hand, it is left and available to be used
We managed to redecorate the house and still have some savings in hand.She completed the first part of the exam with over an hour in hand.if you have a particular situation in hand, you are in control of it
Don’t worry about the travel arrangements—everything is in hand.the job, question, etc. in hand is the one that you are dealing with
Please confine your comments to the topic in hand.if somebody works a week, month, etc. in hand, they are paid for the work a week, etc. after they have completed it
in the hands of somebody | in somebody’s handsbeing taken care of or controlled by somebody
The matter is now in the hands of my lawyer.At that time, the castle was in enemy hands. in safe hands | in the safe hands of somebodybeing taken care of well by somebody
I've left the kids in safe hands—with my parents.Their problem was in the safe hands of the experts. an iron fist/hand (in a velvet glove)if you use the words an iron fist/hand when describing the way that somebody behaves, you mean that they treat people severely. This treatment may be hidden behind a kind appearance (the velvet glove).
They promised that the army would strike with an iron fist at any resistance.The iron hand in the velvet glove approach seems to work best with this age group. I’ve only got one pair of hands(informal)used to say that you are too busy to do anything else
join hands (with somebody)if two people join hands, they hold each other’s hands
to work together in doing something
Education has been reluctant to join hands with business. keep your hand into occasionally do something that you used to do a lot so that you do not lose your skill at it
She retired last year but still teaches the odd class to keep her hand in. know somebody/something inside out | know somebody/something like the back of your hand(informal)to be very familiar with somebody/something
This is where I grew up. I know this area like the back of my hand. lay/get your hands on somebodyto catch somebody that you are annoyed with
Wait till I get my hands on him! lay/get your hands on somethingto find or get something
I know their address is here somewhere, but I can't lay my hands on it right now.I desperately need to get my hands on some money by Monday. live (from) hand to mouthto spend all the money you earn on basic needs such as food without being able to save any money
make/lose money hand over fistto make/lose money very fast and in large quantities
many hands make light work(saying)used to say that a job is made easier if a lot of people help
not do a hand’s turn(old-fashioned)to do no work
She hasn't done a hand's turn all week. not lift/raise a finger/hand (to do something)(informal)to do nothing to help somebody
The children never lift a finger to help around the house. offer your hand(formal)to hold out your hand for somebody to shake
off your handsno longer your responsibility
on either/every hand(literary)on both/all sides; in both/all directions
Mist curled from the water on either hand. on handavailable, especially to help
The emergency services were on hand with medical advice. on your handsif you have somebody/something on your hands, you are responsible for or have to deal with them/it
Let me take care of the invitations—you've enough on your hands with the caterers.They’ll have a fight on their hands if they want to close down the school. (on the one hand…) on the other (hand)…used to introduce different points of view, ideas, etc., especially when they are opposites
On the one hand they'd love to have kids, but on the other, they don't want to give up their freedom. out of handdifficult or impossible to control
Unemployment is getting out of hand.if you reject, etc. something out of hand, you do so immediately without thinking about it fully or listening to other people’s arguments
All our suggestions were dismissed out of hand. out of your handsno longer your responsibility
I'm afraid the matter is now out of my hands. overplay your handto fail to achieve success by judging your position to be stronger than it really is
a pair of hands(informal)a person who can do, or is doing, a job
We need an extra pair of hands if we're going to finish on time. play into somebody’s handsto do exactly what an enemy, opponent, etc. wants so that they gain the advantage in a particular situation
If we get the police involved, we'll be playing right into the protesters' hands. put your hand in your pocket(British English)to spend money or give it to somebody
I've heard he doesn't like putting his hand in his pocket. (like) putty in somebody’s handseasily controlled or influenced by another person
She'll persuade him. He's like putty in her hands. raise a/your hand against/to somebodyto hit or threaten to hit somebody
a safe pair of hands(especially British English)a person that you can trust to do a job well
Colleagues regard him as a safe pair of hands. (at) second, third, etc. handby being told about something by somebody else who has seen it or heard about it, not by experiencing, seeing, etc. it yourself
I'm fed up of hearing about these decisions third hand! show your hand/cardsto make your plans or intentions known
a show of handsa way of voting for or against something in which people raise their hands to vote
The vote was passed by a show of hands.Let’s have a show of hands. Who’s in favour of the proposal? stay your hand(old-fashioned or literary)to stop yourself from doing something; to prevent you from doing something
It was prudence, not logic, that stayed his hand. take your courage in both handsto make yourself do something that you are afraid of
Taking her courage in both hands, she opened the door and walked in. take somebody in handto deal with somebody in a strict way in order to improve their behaviour
take something into your own handsto deal with a particular situation yourself because you are not happy with the way that others are dealing with it
take the law into your own handsto do something illegal in order to punish somebody for doing something wrong, instead of letting the police deal with them
After a series of burglaries in the area, the police are worried that residents might take the law into their own hands.When police failed to arrest the suspect, local people took the law into their own hands and beat him up. take your life in your handsto risk being killed
You take your life in your hands just crossing the road here. throw your hand in(informal)to stop doing something or taking part in something, especially because you are not successful
throw up your handsto raise both hands in the air to show that you are feeling annoyed or upset about something
We threw up our hands in despair at the scale of the problem. to handthat you can reach or get easily
I'm afraid I don't have the latest figures to hand.Keep a pen and paper to hand for details of this week’s competition. try your hand (at something)to do something such as an activity or a sport for the first time
turn your hand to somethingto start doing something or be able to do something, especially when you do it well
Jim can turn his hand to most jobs around the house. wait on somebody hand and foot(disapproving)to take care of somebody’s needs so well that they do not have to do anything for themselves
He seems to expect me to wait on him hand and foot. wash your hands of somebody/somethingto refuse to be responsible for or involved with somebody/something
When her son was arrested again she washed her hands of him.I’ve washed my hands of the whole sordid business. win (something) hands down(informal)to win something very easily
wring somebody’s handto press somebody’s hand very hard when you shake hands
wring your handsto hold your hands together, and twist and press them together in a way that shows you are anxious or upset, especially when you cannot change the situation
