hand
- noun
- /hænd/
- The watch's crystal was gone, and its hands had stopped at twelve minutes to twelve.
- clock hands
- position of the hands
- small hand
Examples
-
The second hand doesn't sweep, you see.
-
Watch that hand on the spring.
-
No immigration scholar can afford not to have the book at hand for ready reference.
Academic text (1991) -
It has a motor here which powers the second hand which comes through the clock.
-
The little hand's on the 7 and the big hand's on the 9.
-
Oh, big hand's on the twelve, little hand's on the five, can't miss it.
-
The clock's second hand ticks steadily as the time passes.
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 for the clock pointer comes from the way a real hand points, so the moving pointer on a clock is called a 'hand' because it points to the time.