big hand
2
1.0
- noun
:
manecilla de los minutos
- The clock has a big hand and a small hand.
- watch the big hand
- big hand is on six
Examples
-
The big hand will go all the way around... and come back to the top, and that's an hour.
-
But when the big hand points down... the door will be gone.
-
The little hand's on the 7 and the big hand's on the 9.
-
From as far away as your house, you can watch the big hand move on the cathedral clock.
Fiction book (1991) -
On his new Aladdin watch, the big hand was at the bottom, but the little hand pointed between two and three.
Fiction book (1998) -
The big hand on the clock pointed to seven minutes past three.
-
As the big hand reached the twelve, the meeting was about to start.
-
When the big hand is on the six, it means half past the hour.
Synonyms
1
1.6
A long hand on a clock or watch that shows the minutes
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning relies on a metaphorical use of 'hand' = 'applause', so the overall sense is not fully derivable from the literal constituents. The adjective 'big' does hint at intensity (a large amount of applause), giving a partial clue, but a B1 learner who only knows 'hand' as a body part or, per the provided definition, a clock pointer, would not reliably infer 'applause' without exposure. Therefore the relation is partly transparent but requires prior knowledge of the idiomatic use.
Etymology
Big hand names the longer hand on a clock that points to the 'minutes'. That's why it means the part of a clock that shows the minutes.