little hand
9
2.9
- noun
:
manita
- As we walked through the park, I gently held her little hand so she wouldn't get lost.
- little hands holding
- little hand in mine
- warm little hand
And as I'm reaching in his direction, his little hand reaches up and grabs my finger.
- And as I'm reaching in his direction, his little hand reaches up and grabs my finger.
- You know, you can tell how small they are because I have really little hands.
- She started doing this with her little hands and fingers hoping that the television screen would swipe.
Examples
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A warm little hand reached out to me under the tablecloth.
Fiction book (1998) -
Me, I remember for three months, every time I bade her good night, I'd kiss the palm of her little hand, astonished at my own boldness.
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Oh, your poor little hand.
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Look at these little hands.
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Look at your little hand.
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"Then come along," he agreed, taking the little hand.
Fiction book (1994) -
I remember how her little hand used to fit inside mine.
Blog text (3) -
The boy offers his little hand to shake again.
Fiction book (2001) -
We stood there for a few seconds watching her sleep, her little hands curled up like flowers.
Fiction book (1995) -
Andrew's warm little hand clasped mine as we strolled to the end of the ice cream line.
Fiction book (1993)
How Small
1
2.2
9
2.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a small hand' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'little' (small/young) with 'hand' (body part), following a standard adjective + noun composition that a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand. The only potential confusion is the provided dictionary gloss of 'hand' as a clock pointer (where 'little hand' can refer to the hour hand), but that is a sense ambiguity rather than idiomatic opacity.
Etymology
Little hand describes a small hand, often a child's. The word little shows small size and kindness, so little hand is used for the small hand of a child or someone dear.