■ noun
1》 the end part of the arm beyond the wrist, including the palm, fingers, and thumb.
↘[as modifier ] operated by or held in the ~.
↘[as modifier or in combination ] done or made manually.
2》 a pointer on a clock or watch indicating the passing of units of time.
3》 ( ~s ) with reference to someone's power or control: taking the law into their own ~s.
↘(usu. a ~ ) an active role.
↘(usu. a ~ ) help in doing something.
4》 a manual worker, especially in a factory, on a farm, or on board a ship.
5》 informal a round of applause: his fans gave him a big ~.
6》 the set of cards dealt to a player in a card game.
↘a round or short spell of play in a card game.
7》 a person's ~writing.
8》 a unit of measurement of a horse's height, equal to 4 inches (10.16 cm). [denoting the breadth of a ~.]
9》 a pledge of marriage by a woman.
■ verb
1》 pick (something) up and give it to (someone).
2》 hold the ~ of, in order to guide or assist.
3》 Sailing take in or furl (a sail).
Phrases
at ~
1》 close by; readily accessible.
2》 close in time; about to happen.
at (or by ) the ~s (or ~) of through the agency of.
by ~ by a person and not a machine.
get (or keep ) one's ~ in become (or remain) practised in something.
give (or lend ) a ~ assist.
~ in glove in close collusion or association.
~ in ~ closely associated; together.
( from ) ~ to mouth satisfying only one's immediate needs because of lack of money.
~s down easily and decisively.
~s-off not involving or requiring direct intervention.
~s-on involving or offering active participation.
a ~'s turn [usu. with negative ] informal a stroke of work.
have one's ~s tied informal be unable to act freely.
have to ~ it to someone informal have to acknowledge someone's merit or achievement.
in ~
1》 in progress; requiring immediate attention.
2》 ready for use if required.
3》 under one's control.
↘(of land) farmed directly by its owner and not let to tenants.
in safe ~s protected by someone trustworthy from harm.
make (or lose or spend ) money ~ over fist informal make (or lose or spend) money very rapidly.
off one's ~s not having to be dealt with.
on every ~ all around.
on ~
1》 present and available.
2》 needing to be dealt with.
on one's ~s
1》 under one's responsibility.
2》 at one's disposal.
on the one (or the other ) ~ used to present factors for (and against).
out of ~
1》 not under control.
2》 without taking time to think: they rejected negotiations out of ~.
a safe pair of ~s someone who is capable or reliable.
set (or put ) one's ~ to start work on.
stay someone's ~ restrain someone from acting.
take a ~ become influential; intervene: fate was about to take a ~.
to ~ within easy reach.
turn one's ~ to undertake (an activity different from one's usual occupation).
wait on someone ~ and foot attend to all someone's needs or requests, especially when unreasonable.
Phrasal verbs
~ something down
1》 pass something on to a successor.
2》 announce something, especially a judgement, formally or publicly.
~ someone off Rugby push away a tackling opponent with one's ~.
~ something on pass something to the next person.
~ something out
1》 distribute something among a group.
2》 impose a penalty or misfortune on someone.
~ over pass to someone else.
~ something round (or around ) offer something to each of a number of people in turn.
Derivatives
~less adjective
Origin
OE ~ , hond , of Gmc origin.