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The hands are arguably the most important parts of the body. Man uses his hands to carry out a variety of tasks. Hands also contribute many idioms to English: A hand-me-down: a piece of clothing that used to belong to an older sibling and is now used by a younger sibling. My neighbours have four children and the younger kids mostly wear hand-me-downs. Rule someone with an iron fist/hand: control a group of people very firmly, having complete power over everything they do. The emperor ruled the country with an iron hand. An old hand: someone who has done a particular job or activity for a very long time and can do it very well. He is an old hand at driving through the state. He has been doing it for twenty years now. In hand: if a plan or situation is in hand, it is being dealt with. Don’t worry about the arrangements for the party; everything is in hand. At hand: be near and ready if needed. The chief minister announced that help was at hand for those effected by the cyclone. Bite the hand that feeds you: treat someone badly who has helped you in some way. When he cheated the old man who had given him shelter when he was homeless, everyone said that he had bitten the hand that fed him. Hand in glove: said of persons or organisations that are working together, often to do something dishonest. Most criminal organisations are working hand in glove with the police; it is no wonder that the crime graph in the city has risen sharply. (Reference: Cambridge
International Dictionary of Idioms) |
