hand and glove
1
6.1
- idiom
- Informal
:
codo a codo
- In the partnership, they functioned hand and glove, seamlessly merging their ideas.
Examples
-
The two departments worked hand and glove to complete the project on time.
-
We go together like hand and glove *
-
Hand and glove, Church and State collaborated in the terror by which the heretics were purged.
Academic text (1993) -
The lawyer and the client were hand and glove, ensuring a strong case was built.
Synonyms
54
3.2
People or groups work closely together to reach the same goal
7
3.3
By working together to reach a common goal
2
7.0
Working very closely in a secret or dishonest way
Antonyms
How Close
46
3.4
- Informal
1
6.1
∞
1.3
119
3.5
773
1.0
61
4.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The expression is motivated by the concrete relation that a glove fits closely to a hand, so learners who know 'hand' and 'glove' can infer a sense of close connection. However, extending that physical closeness to the specific notion of cooperative partnership is a metaphoric/idiomatic step (often realized as 'hand in glove'), so the meaning is not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
The phrase hand and glove may come from the picture of a hand fitting closely into a glove. Because the two fit so well, it now means 'in close cooperation'.