the wrong hands
19
6.4
- idiom
:
malas manos
- If this got into the wrong hands, our world would've stopped in its tracks.
- fall into the wrong hands
Like there's sometimes the skills, the same skill set that's required to build influence in the wrong hands can be used for manipulation.
- Like there's sometimes the skills, the same skill set that's required to build influence in the wrong hands can be used for manipulation.
- The problem is a lot of this positivity stuff in the wrong hands, this positivity discourse can actually become really toxic.
- That means your private details, your passwords, your communications, browsing history and more will be completely shielded from falling into the wrong hands.
- And they also have great potential to harm in the wrong hands or circumstances, people with, you know, potential for psychosis, etcetera.
Examples
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Co-researcher Peter Kreiner added that state programs should analyze the data they collect and reach out to doctors, pharmacists, law enforcement officials, insurers, and others who can prevent prescription drugs from falling into the wrong hands.
Blog text (1) -
Imagine what could happen if this technology fell into the wrong hands.
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And what chance do we have if this technology gets into the wrong hands?
Academic text (2011) -
Your search data should never fall into the wrong hands.
Blog text (3) -
We would never risk a weapon that dangerous... falling into the wrong hands.
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We wouldn't want the information getting into the wrong hands.
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In the wrong hands, it would mean access to the greatest spells in fairy lore.
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As you can see, in the wrong hands, the PX-41 serum could be the most devastating weapon on Earth.
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Cloud browsers are, for the first time, open computation centers that, in the wrong hands, can cause harm to anyone with a mobile device.
Blog text (18) -
Romney has said he would consider military action in Syria if the war-torn country's chemical weapons were at risk of falling into the wrong hands.
Blog text (19)
Antonyms
How Safe
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is partially compositional: 'wrong' (bad/untrustworthy) combined with 'hands' used metaphorically for possession or control (people who hold something). Because this requires extending 'hands' from a literal/body-part or worker sense to a figurative 'in someone's possession' sense, a B1 learner who knows the words may not reliably derive the exact idiomatic sense without prior exposure.
Etymology
The wrong hands comes from the simple image of something falling into the wrong person's hands — someone who will 'misuse' it or cause harm. That's why it now means being with people who are 'untrustworthy' or likely to 'misuse' something.