hand
- noun
- /hænd/
- In poker, she had a great hand with three aces and two kings.
- play your hand
- show one's hand
- overplay one's hand
I got the best hand, I've got the biggest stack.
- I got the best hand, I've got the biggest stack.
- You bet when you have good hands and you fold when you have bad hands.
- And if they give you your winning hand, good job.
- He's like, read the hand, read the hand.
- He is playing with such a weak hand right now.
- We're guessing he's not calling with worse hands than and folding better hands.
Examples
-
The Mouse won the first hand, then lost three small pots in a row.
Fiction book (1991) -
Get him to show his hand before you show yours.
-
In how many, how many possible hands are there for that person?
-
Would you like to risk any more on this hand, sir?
-
I play the hand that I am dealt.
-
I got the best hand, I've got the biggest stack.
-
Don't look at me, I haven't won a hand since Leopold and Lobe.
-
With the deal finally completed, Lando stood, shook hands with Carol, and left the bank considerably richer.
Fiction book (1991) -
Everyone showed their hands at the end of the game, revealing who won.
-
He analyzed the current hand to ensure he made the best possible move.
Idioms
To do something with your hands, for example writing or making things, instead of with a machine
Know a place or thing very well because you have seen it many times
- Informal
In a humble and respectful way when you ask for something or admit a mistake
- Informal
Show too much confidence and take risks that make you lose your advantage
- Offensive
A rude phrase with a hand gesture that tells someone you will not listen
- Informal
Put someone into a difficult situation they cannot control because of bad luck
- Informal
To put someone into a bad or difficult situation because of bad luck
- Offensive
A rude way to say someone is in an embarrassing situation and unprepared
Compounds
- Offensive
A sexual act where one person uses a hand to touch a man's penis for pleasure
- Informal
A way of showing too much worry by repeatedly twisting or clasping the hands
A thing you hold and use with your hands, not powered by a machine, like a hammer or screwdriver
Striking the palms of your hands together repeatedly to show approval or admiration
A form of football where another player stops someone by touching them with both hands
- US
A secret criminal group that extorted people and used violence in Italian American neighborhoods
Surface Forms
Etymology
Hand as a set of cards comes from the same idea: it is what a player holds in their hand, so a 'hand' is the cards you hold during a game.