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Glite Dictionary
to hand-pick

to hand-pick

20 3.8
To choose carefully by yourself for a special purpose
  • phrasal verb
  • /hænd pɪk/
translation icon : elegir personalmente
  • I want you to work closely together with Elder Burt to hand pick the best team from the Mission.
  • hand-picked successor
  • hand-picked candidate
  • hand-picked team

When I watched my sister say it was an honor to be hand picked right then why ever would you audition?

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Examples

  • The governors of all 48 states join me... in wishing Godspeed to you... and your hand-picked team of scientists.

    Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)

  • Scott Wheeler was hand-picked into my division for a reason.

    Black Water (2018)

  • And then they will start hand picking clothes for you.

  • Masters of Japan like to hand pick the best -aspects of their culture.

    Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance (2015)

  • I hand-picked them from Precious' flower garden.

    Slap Shot 3: The Junior League (2008)

  • He's one of the best artists in the kingdom, hand-picked to work for the government.

    PFC Benjamin Tollefson: A Mom's Loss (2017)

  • The AIM Newswire is a collection of political, media, and world news stories hand-picked by the AIM Staff.

    Blog text (12)

  • Projects will be hand-picked by a governor who intends to squeeze every penny available.

    Blog text (14)

  • Our staff of animal trainers and technicians has been hand-picked and specially trained to deal with the full spectrum of program requirements.

    Project X (1987)

  • The director will hand-pick the actors to ensure a perfect fit for the roles.

Synonyms

to choose
vsto hand-pick
∞ 1.0

Pick one thing or person from a group

is a personal careful selection made for a special purpose
to select
vsto hand-pick
823 2.5

To choose someone or something from a group

is chosen personally and with extra care for a special purpose
to pick out
vsto hand-pick
237 2.0

Choose one person or thing from a group

is a deliberate personal selection made with great care for purpose
to cherry-pick
vsto hand-pick
  • Informal
23 6.3

To choose only the best people or things for yourself

is a careful personal choice made for a role not for selfish gain
to handpick
vsto hand-pick
23 3.7

Choose someone carefully for a special job or role

has identical meaning but is written with a hyphen

How Selective

to hand-pick
20 3.8
to single out
103 4.4
to select
823 2.5
to choose
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

hand-pick infinitive
hand-picked past
hand-picked past participle
hand-picking present participle
hand-picks third person singular

Morphology

hand-pick = hand + pick (semi-transparent) = hand + pick

While the components 'hand' and 'pick' are clear, the specific meaning of choosing with great care is metaphorical.

Etymology

The word hand-pick comes from the simple idea of using your own hand to pick fruit one by one. A helpful image is choosing the best apples by hand, so to hand-pick someone means 'to choose personally and with great care'.