safe pair of hands
- idiom
- UK
:
persona de confianza
- Many people prefer a seasoned leader as a safe pair of hands during times of crisis.
Examples
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The manager proved to be a safe pair of hands in guiding the team through the important negotiations.
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Microsoft is much more experienced when it comes to fleet management; many schools may see it as a safe pair of hands when compared to Android.
Blog text (10) -
Safe pair of hands.
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In challenging projects, it’s important to have a safe pair of hands to ensure everything goes smoothly.
Synonyms
30
3.5
A person who helps a leader and is trusted with important work
5
4.0
A person, team, or group you can trust to look after something
1
4.7
A woman who helps a leader closely and can be trusted
How Trustworthy
Surface Forms
Morphology
The words 'safe' and 'hands' (with 'hands' used metonymically for workers or people who carry out tasks) point toward someone reliable, so a learner who knows those meanings could get a general sense of trustworthiness. However, the role of 'pair' and the fixed idiomatic use to mean a dependable person (not literally two hands) is not fully predictable from the parts, making the expression only partially transparent.
Etymology
Safe pair of hands comes from the image of someone who can catch a thrown ball without dropping it — their hands are 'safe'. So it means 'a person you can trust to do a job carefully and well'.