clenched fist
3
4.2
- noun
:
puño cerrado
- The protestors raised their clenched fists in solidarity as they marched down the street.
- clenched fists raised
- clenched-fist salute
- holds up his clenched fist
Examples
-
"I will catch you!" yelled Montez, holding up a clenched fist.
Fiction book (1994) -
Her daughter stands there looking doleful, the suede gloves drooping from her clenched fist.
Fiction book (1994) -
And Ben raised a clenched fist and raised his voice.
Fiction book (1997) -
And then her hand changes to a clenched fist, and she screams...
Fiction book (1990) -
The clenched fist and kind of the body movements said to me this guy is at the heart of what he sings.
-
The prisoners raise their clenched fists together in silent unison.
Fiction book (1992) -
I pounded the clay with clenched fists as I listened to him turn on his music in the other room.
Fiction book (1993) -
Veins bulge on the side of his neck; he holds his clenched fists tight against his sides.
Fiction book (1996) -
An old Venceremos poster of a clenched fist hung above his desk, the edges yellowed and curling.
Fiction book (1999) -
When he heard the news of the team's loss, he responded with a clenched fist and a scowl.
Synonyms
370
1.0
A hand with fingers curled tightly into the palm used for hitting or showing feeling
How Tense
3
4.2
370
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'clenched' (closed/squeezed) + 'fist' (closed hand), yielding a hand with the fingers tightly closed. The gesture semantics (anger, determination, tension, solidarity) are cross-linguistically common and therefore readily inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
The noun clenched fist comes from the simple sight of a clenched fist, with the fingers closed hard into the palm. Because a tight hand like that is used to hit or to show strength, the image now stands for 'anger', 'determination', or 'solidarity'.