HAND


Meaning of HAND in English

I. noun

COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES

an ordeal at the hands of sb (= used to say who has made someone go through something painful or difficult )

She has only just revealed her ordeal at the hands of her stepfather.

ask for sb’s hand in marriage old-fashioned (= ask someone to marry you, or ask their parents for permission to marry )

He asked my father for my hand in marriage.

be caught with your hands/fingers in the till (= to be caught stealing from your employer )

beat sb hands down (= beat someone very easily )

He should be able to beat them all hands down.

calloused hands

rough calloused hands

charge hand

clapped...hand over

‘Mick!’ She clapped her hand over her mouth. ‘I’d forgotten!’

clasp sb/sth in your hands/arms

She clasped the photograph in her hands.

clasp your hands/arms around/behind sth

Fenella leaned forward, clasping her hands around her knees.

clean hands

Make sure you have clean hands before you eat.

close at hand (= very near )

A variety of good restaurants are close at hand .

dismiss sth out of hand (= immediately, without thinking about it )

It's an interesting idea so don't dismiss it out of hand.

dried...hands

Mary dried her hands .

extended...hand (= offered to shake hands )

George extended his hand .

fall into the wrong hands

We must not let these documents fall into the wrong hands .

free hand

He used his free hand to open the door.

get/buy sth second hand

We got most of our furniture second hand.

give in/hand in an essay

Half the class failed to hand in their essay on time.

give sb a big hand (= clap loudly )

give/lend/offer etc sb a helping hand

She’s been giving me a helping hand with the children.

glove/hand/finger puppet

hand baggage (= a bag you are allowed to carry with you onto a plane )

You are only allowed one item of hand baggage on the plane.

hand grenade

hand in your homework (= give homework you have done to your teacher )

He always hands his homework in on time.

hand in your homework (= give it to the teacher )

You must hand in your homework by Friday.

hand in your resignation (= say that you are going to leave an organization )

I'm thinking of handing in my resignation.

hand job

hand luggage

hand out punishments (= give people punishments )

The courts are handing out harsher punishments to reckless drivers.

hand sth down from generation to generation

Native Australians hand down stories and songs from generation to generation.

hand tool

hand towel

hand/foot pump (= operated by your hand or foot )

hand/pass/give/send out a leaflet

Students were handing out election leaflets at the station.

hands clasped...together

She stood with her hands clasped tightly together .

hands down (= very easily or by a large amount )

Everyone expected Sam to win hands down.

heard...second hand

It may not be true – I only heard it second hand .

held out...hand

He held out his hand to help her to her feet.

hired hand

hold hands (= hold each other’s hands )

They sat holding hands under a tree.

hold sth in your hand/arms

He was holding a knife in one hand.

I held the baby in my arms.

hour hand

impose/hand down a sentence (= officially give someone a sentence )

The judge imposed a three-year sentence.

in the hands of the receivers

The business is in the hands of the receivers .

in the palm of his hand

He held the pebble in the palm of his hand .

keep your mind on the job/task in/at hand

Making notes is the best way of keeping your mind on the task at hand.

killed...with his bare hands

He had killed a man with his bare hands .

know...like the back of my hand (= I know it very well )

I grew up here; I know the place like the back of my hand .

lift your hand/arm/leg etc

She lifted her hand to knock on the door once again.

Pam lifted her shoulders in a little shrug.

minute hand

need a firm hand

These children need a firm hand .

offer/extend the hand of friendship (= officially say that you want a friendly relationship )

America extended the hand of friendship, but it was rejected.

outstretched arms/hands/fingers

She ran to meet them with outstretched arms.

pair of hands/eyes/legs etc

She felt as if every pair of eyes in the room was on her.

passed into the hands of

Control of these services has now passed into the hands of the local authorities.

Raise...hand

Raise your hand if you know the right answer.

rubbed...hands together

He rubbed his hands together with embarrassment.

rubbing...hands with glee

Manufacturers are rubbing their hands with glee as they prepare to cash in.

second hand

We got most of our furniture second hand.

second hand

show of hands

The dispute was settled with a show of hands.

sleight of hand

strengthen sb's hand (= make them more powerful )

The controversy has strengthened the hand of her critics.

take your life in your hands (= put yourself in a dangerous situation )

Just crossing this road is taking your life in your hands.

the hand brake ( also the emergency brake the parking brake American English ) (= one you apply with your hand, to stop the car moving when parked )

I tried to drive off with the hand brake still on.

the hands of/on a clock (= the long thin pieces that point at the numbers )

The hands on the clock said ten past two.

the matter at hand ( also the matter in hand British English ) (= the thing you are dealing with now )

Do not let yourself be distracted from the matter in hand.

tie sb’s hands/arms/legs/feet

One of them tied her hands behind her back.

wandering hands

Be careful, he’s got wandering hands .

with your hands in your pockets

I saw him wandering along the beach with his hands in his pockets.

your fate is in sb’s hands (= someone will decide what happens to you )

His fate is now in the hands of the judge.

COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS

■ ADJECTIVE

free

In return for a freer hand in the currency market private dealers were expected to play a more active role in industrial investment.

He loosened his tie with his free hand .

Mrs Sweet reached her free hand down to his flies.

Lucia started backing up her books with a free hand .

Then Sir Alfred pulled in in his Bentley and promised me a free hand to design a car that worked.

Get a free hand to change work rules.

Ruth shook her head and then with her free hand scooped her hair back from her face.

It turns them on and gives them a free hand to be as obnoxious as they want.

left

Isabel raised her left hand and peered at the ring in the dim light cast by the clock-candle burning near the bed.

It was worn on the left hand , so as not to hinder sword play.

He stood in the doorway holding the thirty-eight in his right hand , with his left hand grasping his right wrist.

The Blairites' right hand seems not to know-dares not find out-what its left hand is doing.

Repeat the exercise, then do the same for the left hand .

She wore a leather mitten on her left hand while her right was bare.

But during batting practice a line drive slammed off his left hand , and he had to be scratched.

other

On the other hand specialists could thrive.

On the other hand sentiment is changing the way in which hostile takeovers are regarded.

Lawyers, on the other hand , often call for changing even settled practice in midgame.

Rheme position, on the other hand , is prominent on an overall discourse level.

Group B, on the other hand , seems a little anomalous.

On the other hand the public would want inspectors to be independent of the school being inspected.

If on the other hand they wished him to go, he should be told immediately so that the could leave quietly.

On the other hand , the lesser light-grasp is not really important for most kinds of viewing.

right

Morenz used his right hand to bring out his passport.

He insisted there was some-thing about his right hand-the hand that delivered the knockout punch-that was strange.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, he made a grab with his right hand and ripped the knife from its sheath.

Edney holds the ball with his right hand and uses his left shoulder for protection.

Without warning his right hand swiped in retaliation at her mouth, splitting her lip.

There will be a little clock in the lower right hand corner that will tick down.

Pausing at the door he turned once more and extended the middle finger of his right hand towards the bed.

strong

During his election campaign Demirel had spoken of the need for a strong hand in dealing with Kurdish guerrillas.

No more to trouble earth or the sea waters With their strong hands , Laboring for the food that does not satisfy.

His strong hand cupped her fist and held it.

Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back?

A strong hand , long-fingered, brown.

If he bids high, is he bluffing, or does he actually hold a strong hand ?

At first Dinah had smacked her hard on the bare bottom with her thin strong hand .

upper

Now White gains the upper hand .

Once your groin gets the upper hand , you lose the ability to reason.

My son usually has the upper hand because he's older.

In the South, the right-wing Rhee supporters clearly had the upper hand .

For a fleeting second she allowed herself to revel in the unaccustomed feeling of having the upper hand over him.

It was a curious shell game in which each side thought it had the upper hand .

And the loss of a fight in which greens seemed to have the upper hand is hard to take.

■ NOUN

side

Left or right hand side zip available.

You will find the camera button located close to the hand-grip on the right hand side of the body.

Each pilot had a separate door on the right hand side , off a wing walk.

In a formal display the left and right hand side are exactly the same.

It shows the length of the factory with the Design Studio on the right hand side .

Sidebar a vertical bar positioned usually on the right hand side of the screen.

Trouble too on lower panel, right hand side , he wrote.

Take a clean sheet of paper and use only the left hand side .

■ VERB

change

It is unclear whether it has recently changed hands .

More than 3 million shares changed hands , more than 14 times the six-month average of 204, 524 shares.

We've each had our hot streaks, I won't deny: the whammy has changed hands many times.

In 1989, after several years of lagging profits, Lechmere changed hands as a result of a management-led leveraged buyout.

Ecstasy tablets now change hands for £20 a time.

Some 68. 33 million shares changed hands .

The price at which tenancies change hands is currently within the range £115,000 to £155,000.

No money changed hands , he said.

clap

Paul claps his hand to his head three or four times.

They were just slowly crawling around. l clapped my hands over them.

He wanted to clap his hands to the music, but didn't.

Dad clapped his hands over his cheeks when the thunderbolt struck.

Every morning when we got to school we were allowed to play until Mrs Donnan stood outside and clapped her hands .

There was a terrific amount of noise and laughter and the clapping of hands .

The Night Superintendent clapped her hands for silence.

The Times Squares clap their hands , change partners, and do-si-do.

clasp

Susan clasped her hands because she was trembling, but the tension in her locked fingers only made her shake the more.

Fontaine clasped his hands in his lap.

The carer then asks the patient to clasp his hands together, and helps him to do this.

The judge sat down and clasped his hands .

Magrat clasped her hands together and looked down, biting her knuckles.

The president straightened the ribbons, clasped his hands and appeared to pray.

The Scarabae clasped their hands , pleased.

He switched channels with the remote, clasped his hands behind his head.

cup

Trying by cupping his hand over the clasps to avoid the penetrating clicks of opening, George lifted the lid.

She stood with the table crumbs cupped in one hand .

He then shuffled around the room cupping his hand around the chimneys and blowing out one lamp after another.

The 75, 000 football fans crammed into the cupped hands of Sun Devil Stadium.

Grainne took the hot fragrant wine gratefully, and cupped her hands about the goblet for warmth.

He cupped his hand over his thing as if it were a flame that might blow out.

Then she cupped her hands around Jack's face and gently pulled him to his feet.

All stood anxiously waiting with camp cups in hand .

extend

Recovering quickly, he smiled in return and extended his hand .

Father Tim extended his hands and indicated a small distance between them.

Cornelius paused a moment to extend his right hand .

He wore a yellow-brown silk cloak with cotton trim; his sleeves were long, extending over his hands .

As Jess passes by Jody, the coach extends her hand to be slapped.

Marie extended her hand graciously, inclined her head, thanked me.

She extends her hand and they shake.

fall

Primo reaches for his wallet, lets it fall open in his hand and slips out a five.

Such colour as there was drained from her face, and what was left of the biscuit fell from her hand .

Pentagon officials say they have already had some success reducing the risk that nuclear materials will fall into the wrong hands .

The revolver nearly fell from my hands , and my whole body froze with fear.

He lurched sideways and fell to his hands and knees on the stone steps.

Everything falls neatly to hand , and all switches and indicators are clearly marked.

Menelaus drew his sword, his only weapon now, but as he did so it fell from his hand broken.

hold

He hadn't given her flowers, or held her hand in the cinema or left meaningful messages on her answerphone.

He held her hand tightly and led her across the street.

After being counted one more time, still holding Elizabeth's hand I followed the crocodile miserably through darkened rooms.

He longed to be holding one in his hands .

Arlene held out her hand for him, stretched it flat, from fingertip to elbow, against the tabletop.

Lucker holds my hand with the kind of grasp that men at sea learn as a last resort.

Condrey said he was still holding Higgins' hand when they walked into the water, fully clothed.

keep

An ambulance was kept at hand .

Several blocks of the same size are kept on hand to represent buildings.

And keep your hands off Maria.

Since she left City Hall, Zimmerman has kept a hand in politics.

He moved slowly and cautiously, and kept his hands in clear view.

He kept his hand on Hughes's sleeve.

Always keep hand cream available in kitchen and bathroom and rub it in frequently.

Like those people who keep washing their hands over and over.

lay

I laid a hand on his hair.

Stuyvesant responded by laying hands on To bias Feake, who delivered the document, arresting and eventually banishing him.

He lay stiff on her hand , small, cold and useless.

He was driven finally into telling her that he would lay hands upon her if she did not stop talking.

Terran employees who still had the faculty of independent mobility fled, understandably, with everything they could lay their hands on.

I lay a hand on his chest and felt him breathe, mile after mile through the Kentucky night.

The baby was kicking, at night Alan lay with his hand on her side and felt the repeated thrusting movements.

The court officers tell me they can lay their hands on a block of tickets.

lift

He used to lift his hands high off the keyboard, which was my first lesson in the value of showmanship.

I lift my hand and watch a melted blade of light move across my flesh.

I lifted my hand and, acknowledging my recognition of him, I smiled.

When the shrieks of his gang became too much, he lifted his hand and his face took on a furious look.

She went to the door of the room Alice had been in, and lifted her hand as if to knock.

I did not frighten her further by going over to her but lifted my hand and continued on my way.

It was opened almost before Howarth had lifted his hand to ring.

I lift my hand to direct him to the landing, and just like that it hits me.

pass

The dew vanished from the flowers; they began to lose their freshness and to wilt, passing from hand to hand.

She was passed from hand to hand.

He passed his hands through his hair, clutching the wheel silently, dashboard dials glowing.

On impulse, he reached out and passed his hand through the vapour.

She brought him his sandwich and soda, placing it down like a mommy, passing a hand through his wet hair.

But from that day, too, events began to pass out of their hands .

Coins, jewelry, postage stamps, a Matisse litho, all passed through my hands .

place

Her affairs were placed in the hands of the Court of Protection, which appointed Mrs B receiver.

She placed a small delicate hand on it and bade Miriam good-night.

Rising slowly to his feet, he placed both hands on the table and leaned forward to face Jonadab.

I placed my hand among the grey curlicues of Hugh's fallen chest.

As she placed her hands trustingly in his, he moved out of the strong light and she saw his face.

He placed his free hand tentatively on the soft flesh.

Standing with your feet together, place your left hand on your stomach.

And then, with no less care than command, I placed his hand on the front of my trousers.

press

Remembering the cup in her pocket, she pressed her hand over the flap to hide it.

He tried to force her voice lower by keeping his soft and pressing his hands downward.

She pressed a hand to her bosom to try to still the wild fluttering of her heart.

Several parishioners had pressed envelopes into his hand .

Keeping the body rigid, press with the hands until the arms are straight.

Yes, the missionary ladies agreed, as they pressed money into her hands .

Harriet pressed a hand to her mouth and closed her eyes.

Add the melted butter in a stream, while mixing until it holds together when pressed in your hand .

put

Some months later it dawned on me that he had put his hands on my head and what this implied!

Luther put his hand inside his suit jacket.

She put her hand defiantly on his arm and glared at the ring of faces.

He put out his hand to stop her as she went by.

But before we part, come, put your hand on this stone.

You know, I put my hand inside his shirt and I feel like some one else is doing it.

Anna Harland put her hand on her daughter's arm, and smiled at them.

Dunne put his hands in the air.

raise

Gaunt raised his hand as if welcoming the plaudits of the crowd.

Carla raises her hand as if she were at school.

Zach gave a long ghostly moan and raised his hands .

Sev eral times he raised his hand to knock, but each time he let it drop.

Then they raised their hands in the air and gave three cheers.

She raised a hand to her hair.

She raised her hand to hail a cab but the Paris traffic was zooming by at its usual break-neck pace.

Perhaps I simply raise my hand .

reach

Ash reached one hand out across the table and spilled my brandy into my lap.

He had reached out his hand to try to pat her on the arm and noticed how erratic his own movements were.

Then he reaches back with his hand and rubs his foot with it.

She reached out with both hands .

He reached his hand down to tilt her chin or did she raise it to anticipate him?

The men reach out their hands and eat.

She reached up to lock her hands behind his neck, her mouth parting beneath his.

I reach for my hand mirror for confirmation.

rub

Soccer Western agents rub hands over the prospect of an eastern defection Talking Point.

I put a few drops on my palms and rubbed my hands together.

He rubbed one in his hands to thaw it for me and barked at Nina, the black-haired girl.

She rubbed her hands in his hair.

He rubbed his hands on his pants, blew on his fingers, and put them back into his pockets.

I can see the disinfectant manufactures rubbing their hands with glee, confident of selling still stronger-smelling concoctions.

Lee rubbed his long-fingered hands together; he wondered where to start.

run

Again he ran his left hand through his hair, but this time he felt a tingle of anticipation.

He tugged on the ends of the billowing wig and ran his hands over it, pressing it to his head.

She ran a hand through her hair and glanced up at the fighters again, one arm linked through Plummer's.

I took a deep breath and ran my hands along my body.

Then run your hand across the surface in order to detect any bumps or depressions not visible to the eye.

McMurphy takes off his cap and runs his hands into that red hair.

He resisted the temptation, leaning back in his seat, running a hand across his forehead.

At the top of the meadow I reached back to run my hand over the few wispy hairs on his scalp.

shake

They embraced Rose a second time and everybody shook hands .

They shook hands and got in their cars and went home to supper.

Then suddenly an old man pushed his way through to me and shook my hand .

As he finished his set, Popper shook hands with the wheelchair-bound youngsters and passed out harmonicas to each.

The guests were crowding slowly past the wedded couple, kissing them, shaking their hands .

When he shakes hands , it reminds him of somebody else.

He then shook my hand , wished me luck and returned to his home.

They shake hands , kiss greetings, exchange news and rumors, and take snapshots of each other.

take

Harry had taken her hand to help her up the last flight and they were both laughing like schoolchildren on an adventure.

Why do generally honest employees take from the hand that feeds them?

She took my hand , and played with my bracelet - and her fingers, her wrist were just bones.

Mr Enders had taken her by the hand and led her to the front of the crowd.

On reaching the toes, take your hands back to the head and sweep downwards again.

Annie said, rising in her weary fashion, taking my hand .

Don't wait for a muse to come take your hand .

She reached back and took him in her hand .

throw

Sophie threw her hands up in despair.

The rector leaned forward and threw up his hand .

Davide had seen the priests, who had shrugged and thrown up their hands indolently at the laundress's problem.

Even his most recent wife, Mercedes, had thrown up her hands .

At times they threw their hands up to their faces in true Macaulay Culkin style and almost screamed the roof off.

Elmer throws him a hand of hay and pours a scoop of sweet feed into his trough.

Here Abie threw up his hands at the ignorance of policemen.

With two out, he stumbled from the mound and landed on his throwing hand and came out of the game.

wash

The sooner it washes its hands of Mr Haider the better.

I no longer had to stoop to wash my hands in public restrooms.

Tell the kids to wash their hands and come in here when the programme's ended.

I wash my hands quickly and flee from the restroom.

Just wash your hands and then come back.

She ate something, gave Ollie some oatmeal and softened toast, cleaned him up, washed her face and hands .

Then, and only then, was it realised she had taken it off when she had washed her hands .

Maybe he should wash his hands .

wave

Then she smiled, waved her hand weakly, and was gone.

He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, waved his hand , and sat there.

She remembered him propped up by the nurses, waving his little hands about.

He waves his hand round and round to show the globe-encircling blue ring of cold material sinking into the earth.

As if he sensed their homage the Kha-Khan elect waved a hand in dismissal.

Shoba had been waving her hand and trying to get attention.

He waved his beringed hand at Thérèse.

He sat there looking up, and waving a hand in the Esso-blue evening.

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

(at) first hand

Students in the program are exposed first hand to college life.

The school deals first hand with all the problems of today's society.

Eventually divers provided first hand evidence that sea otters use rocks as hammers under water to dislodge the abalones.

Primary data is collected by the researcher at first hand, mainly through surveys, interviews, or participant observation.

Released from prison, Rudd travelled around the country, undertaking surveys and checking information at first hand.

The visit lasted over an hour during which time Neil Kinnock experienced at first hand what carpet manufacturing was all about.

These two boys say nothing to me as they get in, first handing their weapons to their friends.

Work is developed from first hand sources and observed drawing.

Your letters were very welcome, but I still want to hear everything at first hand.

(have) sb's blood on your hands

But I already have too much blood on my hands.

Dad with blood on his hands.

He hated to see her with blood on her hands.

I want him to know he has my son's blood on his hands.

Republicans spent eight years trying to prove President Clinton had blood on his hands.

There's blood on my hands, mine or hers I don't know.

There was blood on his hands and I thought he'd had an accident.

I've only got one pair of hands

I/you can count sb/sth on (the fingers of) one hand

a bird in the hand (is worth two in the bush)

a firm hand

A firm hand on the reins?

Although he runs the operation with a firm hand, the Steelers are more like a family than any other team.

Finally fold the ribbon back on itself and press the strain relief device into position with firm hand pressure.

In fact, a firm hand might have steered the team on the rocks.

In other respects careful management and a firm hand pushed up the royal income.

Lizzy would need a firm hand after this.

The guests had been selected with a boldness and discrimination in which the initiated recognized the firm hand of Catherine the Great.

When Barkley Ball was at its peak, there was little need for a firm hand.

a helping hand

A few guidelines are all that is needed: Be considerate of others, give a helping hand, be safe.

Britain's champion in the sport has been lending a helping hand.

Everyone had a view: The proposal was an insult, a helping hand, a roadblock, a learning aid.

He wasn't even offering her a helping hand, she brooded.

People do need a helping hand.

The Basques, romantics to a man, believed that Fate would give Biarritz a helping hand.

Today, George is still going strong, giving his son, Robin a helping hand with the ploughing.

Which makes it an excellent jumping off point if you need a helping hand.

a safe pair of hands

a safe pair of hands

an extra pair of hands

But an extra pair of hands is still needed, especially during busy periods.

The clinical teacher should be part of the ward team, but must resist becoming an extra pair of hands.

We could visit a theatre, and there would be an extra pair of hands in the garden.

be a dab hand at/with sth

However, they might be a dab hand at needlework or crochet.

She was a dab hand at couplets, was Rosie.

They should be dab hands with the diapers, and more in touch with their emotions.

Workers at the Wellingborough factory are dab hands at turning out unusual orders.

be an old hand (at sth)

Helms is an old hand at backroom politics.

Blue is an old hand at such compositions and has never had any trouble with them.

Habitat is an old hand at changing habits of a lifetime.

Pete Zimmerman is an old hand at water initiatives.

These were old hands, and Dawn Run was effectively still a novice.

We are old hands in the public-school system.

be in safe hands

Parents want to make sure they're leaving their children in safe hands.

Ambulances arrived, Ivor and Pauline were in safe hands.

I believed he was in safe hands.

If we can tap it successfully - our future is in safe hands.

My neck and hand were in safe hands-four of them.

So if it was going to get rough she couldn't be in safer hands.

be putty in sb's hands

be rubbing your hands

And ace marksman Aldo is rubbing his hands in glee at the prospect.

Battle is joined and lawyers are rubbing their hands in anticipation.

Frankie was rubbing his hands together and Chopper merely nodded now and then with a silly expression on his face.

Good quality barley is making £151 a tonne so, not unnaturally, both farmers and merchants are rubbing their hands.

He was rubbing your hands to warm you up.

Players' agents and satellite salesmen will be rubbing their hands with glee.

The doctor was rubbing her hands, probably to warm them, but it looked like a gesture of glee and greed.

Thousands of people will be rubbing their hands with glee.

bite the hand that feeds you

If I put my prices up, it's like biting the hand that feeds me - it's economic suicide.

It is hard to bite the hand that feeds you.

Somehow, without guidance and peer influence, cricketers are apt to bite the hand that feeds them.

They are not normally going to bite the hand that feeds them.

This appears to be a new version of biting the hand that feeds you.

bury your face/head in your hands

capable hands

But they weren't capable hands.

I am glad that the business continues to flourish in the capable hands of Rodney Shipsey - the third generation.

I leave it all in your strong, capable hands.

It was no affair of his that she had left the London studio in the capable hands of her assistant.

May the Town Crier remain in the very capable hands of the college students and lecturers for a long time to come.

Think penitent ... and in less capable hands, downright dull.

You are in my capable hands.

change hands

The theater recently changed hands.

But even this little collection of cottage garden produce won't change hands without some stern bargaining.

He had also been talking for ages to Broadman, and Ymor had seen a piece of paper change hands.

In 1989, after several years of lagging profits, Lechmere changed hands as a result of a management-led leveraged buyout.

More than 3 million shares changed hands, more than 14 times the six-month average of 204, 524 shares.

Mr Adams's defeat in the only Northern Ireland seat to change hands was widely welcomed by nationalist and Unionist politicians.

No money changed hands, he said.

The price at which tenancies change hands is currently within the range £115,000 to £155,000.

The property went into foreclosure and changed hands several times.

clean hands

Bull leaned out of the window, gripping the edge of the crumbling sill with spotlessly clean hands.

I wish I had discovered his method of undertaking glassfibre repairs with clean hands and no brush years ago.

No one comes to the bargaining table with thoroughly clean hands, but we can be thankful that they still show up.

Out of this sordid mix of political short-sightedness and commercial greed, no government emerges with clean hands.

The patient himself may pick one up with clean hands, but no one else.

Their support is based on a belief that the left governments have clean hands and have improved municipal services.

cup your hand(s)

Sara cupped her hand around the match until it burned steadily.

Grainne took the hot fragrant wine gratefully, and cupped her hands about the goblet for warmth.

He cupped his hand around his mouth.

He cupped his hand over his thing as if it were a flame that might blow out.

He then shuffled around the room cupping his hand around the chimneys and blowing out one lamp after another.

Periodically, Felix will turn to Manny, cup his hand and explain to him what has been said.

Then she cupped her hands around Jack's face and gently pulled him to his feet.

Trying by cupping his hand over the clasps to avoid the penetrating clicks of opening, George lifted the lid.

dirty your hands

either side/end/hand etc

A pipe-freezing kit makes two plugs of ice either side of the joint so that you can cut through the pipes.

A trained work elephant then moved up on either side, rather like tugs docking a ship.

Fry bacon, turning until brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes either side.

On either side of each barrier it leaves similar pockets of high and low cloud cover, of arid and lush terrain.

On either side of the road are groves of guava trees.

The guns chattered out either side of our Huey.

The hall takes up the central bay through the two storeys; the dining- and drawing-rooms are on either side.

White dunes made walls on either side of them.

fall into the hands/clutches of sb

Somehow, the plans fell into the hands of an enemy spy.

And for all that, I have fallen into the hands of the Robemaker, he thought angrily.

It must never fall into the clutches of a political party again.

The power to play or not fell into the hands of program director Crocker and his peers around the country.

fall/get into the wrong hands

A crossed cheque therefore gives some protection against fraud if it falls into the wrong hands.

And images of Kurds on tape could fall into the wrong hands.

But some gun dealers have stopped selling replicas, because they're worried about them falling into the wrong hands.

Cards falling into the wrong hands cost the industry three hundred pounds every minute.

I will never allow Kirsty to fall into the wrong hands.

Pentagon officials say they have already had some success reducing the risk that nuclear materials will fall into the wrong hands.

Voice over Mr Foulkes is seeking Government safeguards to prevent Rayo from falling into the wrong hands.

force sb's hand

The governor is trying to force the legislature's hand on this issue.

give (sb) a hand

After George had left his basket at home he gave Willie a hand.

Even so, some one would usually give me a hand or watch, with amusement, from the corners of their eyes.

I gave her a hand packing up her clothes and stuff.

I gave her hand a quick, cautious squeeze.

It shows that some one out there is thinking of us, and giving us a hand along in the world.

Léonie said to Rose: I'd like to give you a hand.

Please, man, give me a hand!

give sb a free hand/rein

They've given me a free hand with the budget, as long as I stay under $10,000.

Both these factors gave him a freer hand to negotiate.

He's given me a free hand to buy horses.

I would discuss the script, say, on proportional representation, and then give him free rein.

It turns them on and gives them a free hand to be as obnoxious as they want.

No advanced industrial nation gives corporations a freer hand in busting unions.

No, it was thanks to my culinary abilities that Marie-Claude gave me free rein of both her kitchen and her bedchamber.

Then I pretty much give them free rein.

While watching him at work she impulsively asked to borrow his materials and followed his advice to give her imagination free rein.

go cap in hand (to sb)

Advertisers used to go to museums, cap in hand, to ask permission to use a painting for an advertisement.

grubby hands/paws/mitts

Benedict imprisoned her closer, oblivious to her grubby hands caught against the pristine whiteness of his neckcloth.

Every grubby penny I can get my grubby hands on, every grubby day of my grubby little life..

The children are fighting under the tank, catching drips like diamonds in their grubby hands.

guiding light/hand/star

And that is what Aeneas's young son did under the guiding hand of Alecto.

Eddie was his hero, his guiding light.

Father Peter, its guiding light, was also its provider of funds and sustenance.

That will be the guiding light of the next Labour government.

To followers, he is more than just a guiding light - he is the Messiah.

Under Mr Yarrow's guiding hand, the reputation of the school was untarnished, these five long years.

hand in your notice/give (your) notice

hand/give/offer sb sth on a plate

have sb eating out of your hand

He's brilliant in job interviews -- he always manages to get the panel eating out of his hand.

I introduced Mr Wilkinson to my mother, and within minutes she had him eating out of her hand.

In a second or two a man might have these boys eating out of his hand.

have the whip hand

With the advent of term limits in the state Legislature, Orange County will have the whip hand.

have your hands/fingers in the till

have/gain the upper hand

Police have gained the upper hand over the drug dealers in the area.

But slowly and surely the followers of Chaos gained the upper hand.

If the two had been introduced simultaneously, the larger one would invariably have the upper hand.

Now White gains the upper hand.

Officials said they might reopen the freeway at 5 p. m. today, perhaps sooner if firefighters gain the upper hand overnight.

The world can only pray that they do not gain the upper hand.

Under the proposed law, she would have the upper hand.

We must destroy them now, while we yet have the upper hand.

When you have a gun you have the upper hand, it makes you feel big, bad.

have/hold sth in your hot little hand

hold/have sb in the palm of your hand

She's got the whole committee in the palm of her hand.

join hands

I have a message of hope: the time has come to join hands.

Li expressed the hope that the two developing powers join hands to develop high-tech industries, especially information technology.

Physician and theologian join hands in assigning responsibility.

They joined hands, they twirled round and round and round.

They want to join hands and share.

They would not on any account join hands with Lucifer.

With that, doctor and patient joined hands and bowed their heads as Keys prayed.

keep your hands off sb/sth

And keep your hands off Maria.

But today with his mind too preoccupied to work he seemed quite unable to keep his hands off it.

Couldn't keep our hands off each other.

I could not keep my hands off them.

The government should keep its hands off content.

They had been unable to keep their hands off each other.

They should stay out where they belong - keep their hands off our people.

knacker your elbow/hand etc

lay a hand/finger on sb

He wouldn't dare lay a finger on any of us.

I laid a hand on his hair.

I lay a hand on his chest and felt him breathe, mile after mile through the Kentucky night.

If she laid a hand on him, what could he do besides run for it?

Some one laid a hand on me.

Stuyvesant responded by laying hands on To bias Feake, who delivered the document, arresting and eventually banishing him.

The odds are that the young man would not have laid a finger on her, but what if ...?

lend (sb) a hand

Lend me a hand with this box.

He may have lent a hand in the construction of the Jefferys pocket watch and even of H-4.

I just thought I'd come up and lend a hand.

I met them leeward of the middle vehicle, where they lent a hand to tip the wheelbarrow into a stable position.

Joe lent a hand to all, and supplied much of the muscle.

Nick and I laid out tow ropes to the bow of the raft, and cajoled bystanders to lend a hand.

Shuttleworth Collection have supplied a copy of the engine manual - who else can lend a hand?

Uncle Jack fell into the latter category, Ursula vehemently rejecting his offer to lend a hand.

Women came by from other camps to lend a hand, bringing prashad.

live from hand to mouth

He lived from hand to mouth making instant resolves every time he opened his mail.

Teacher To live from hand to mouth.

not soil your hands

Keep your drug money - I wouldn't want to soil my hands with it.

offer your hand (to sb)

An old woman sat veiled in black in a corner; toward whom people nodded or quickly offered their hand.

Delia Sutherland offered her hand to a young girl in an overall.

Jotan was getting slowly to his feet, offering his hand to Arkhina.

We have offered our hand again and again.

When I look down toward his waist, I see that he has covertly offered his hand.

overplay your hand

By opposing even a moderate ban on assault weapons, the gun lobby has overplayed its hand.

Eventually, however, Safdarjung overplayed his hand.

If his opponents were intent on overplaying their hand, it could only improve his position with the cardinal.

Should she spell it out to him, or would that fatally overplay her hand?

The unions overplayed their hand in the end.

This drove a much harder bargain and, it has been suggested, represents the moment at which Edward overplayed his hand.

play into sb's hands

And what good you, you silly fool, playing into my hands like this?

It plays into the hands of the opposition.

It would be playing into his hands to react to his deliberate teasing.

Such action, I believed - and still believe - would have played into the hands of my enemies.

This, the futures industry frets, would play into the hands of Rep.

We should be careful not to play into the hands of murderers.

Whatever he did would play into the hands of Isambard, whose traps were always dual, and could not be evaded.

press sb's hand/arm

put your hand/foot/arm out

Everyone puts his hand out, from cabinet ministers to loan underwriters.

He put his hand out and there was Lily, quiet and warm beside him.

He put his hand out, touching his father's cheek.

Minna put her hands out and I handed her the divorce.

She tottered, and put her arms out.

Vern put his hand out this time.

When she put her hand out, trying to rise, she skittled a row of bottles.

rule sb with an iron fist/hand

shake sb's hand/shake hands with sb

show your hand

He said that he wouldn't be bullied into showing his hand first.

At Michaelmas 1183 Henry showed his hand.

For one thing he needed hard evidence, and to get it he would have to show his hand.

Kingfisher was forced to show its hand after rumours that a bid was in the offing began to circulate on Tuesday.

Not the time to show our hand.

Now the government has shown its hand.

Though nobody on the government side had shown his hand, it was hardly necessary.

When Dastmalchi called and showed his hand, Tom knew the game was up.

sit on your hands

Most delegates sat on their hands while a few radicals took control of the discussion.

So we sat on our hands about Sally, because we thought the stakes were higher than the National Enquirer.

stand on your head/hands

A malevolent demon was standing on his head.

And the hoops were made by soldiers, who turned over and stood on their hands and feet.

I can do it standing on my head, although I won't.

Maybe I have to stand on my head to prove I mean it.

She had a washboard stomach, and her boyfriend would stand on his hands on chairs balanced above her.

Somehow the doctrine of the Fall had been stood on its head.

Susan was teaching Wyatt how to stand on his hands.

We did; the moment the car stopped there I jumped out and stood on my head in the grass.

stay sb's hand

There is little we can do to stay his hand without damaging East-West relations.

take matters into your own hands

The city council took matters into its own hands and set a date for the meeting.

As a result, some countries have taken matters into their own hands.

Finally the women of Buntong Tiga can stand it no longer - they take matters into their own hands.

She then took matters into her own hands.

She was more than capable of taking matters into her own hands.

So why not take matters into our own hands?

The last thing leaders want is Tutsi who survived the genocide taking matters into their own hands.

When the psycho is caught, then let go on a technicality, Mom takes matters into her own hands.

take the law into your own hands

Citizens should not be expected to take the law into their own hands.

take/hand over the reins

Campbell Christie takes over the reins at Brockville tomorrow.

Finally, on November 24, he took over the reins of the Puzzle Palace from the retiring director.

The younger generation had taken over the reins .

talk to the hand

the ball of the foot/hand

Calluses grow on the ball of the foot and do not have a nucleus.

However, I would suggest that you subsequently attack employing the ball of the foot rather than the injured instep.

Raise your back heel and rest your weight on the ball of the foot.

The heel of your leading foot should touch the ground, just before the ball of the foot and toes.

The jumping turning kick: strike with the ball of the foot, keeping the back leg tucked up.

the dead hand of sth

the dead hand of bureaucracy

It isn't about the dead hand of the past, the unsettled guilt-edged accounts of history returning to haunt the present.

State legislatures and Congress are no longer gripped as they once were by the dead hand of privilege.

Such a move would reimpose the dead hand of state control and political interference.

The core of the neoliberal argument is the need to free enterprise and initiative from the dead hand of the state.

The main problem is the dead hand of local authorities, which keep tens of thousands of properties empty.

Then there was Marta from Spartanburg, who was fleeing the dead hand of middle-class rectitude.

the devil makes/finds work for idle hands

the flat of sb's hand/a knife/a sword etc

the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing

throw in your hand

throw up your hands (in horror/dismay etc)

But instead of throwing up her hands and blaming the problem on organizational chaos, she stepped back and analyzed the situation.

Davide had seen the priests, who had shrugged and thrown up their hands indolently at the laundress's problem.

Even his most recent wife, Mercedes, had thrown up her hands.

He rounded the bend nearest the building, and nearly dropped the branch for throwing up his hands in frustration.

Here Abie threw up his hands at the ignorance of policemen.

Jenny exclaimed to E.. Ames, throwing up her hands.

Paul Reichmann threw up his hands in protest at the suggestion, but did not utter a sound.

Then they throw up their hands, wondering why the benefits they have been pursuing never seem to accrue.

time hangs/lies heavy on your hands

try your hand at sth

Diane has always wanted to try her hand at acting.

But he decided to try his hand at writing books and was enormously successful.

Guinness tried his hand at the new Porter with rather more success than his fellow Dublin brewers.

If you have the urge to try your hand at a grant, do so!

Isaac Mizrahi tried his hand at the corset, and in the process turned out some fabulous evening dresses.

It's time to try my hand at the settled life.

Many who are in the process of acquiring these technical skills may wish to try their hand at grantsmanship.

Plenty of Christians have tried their hand at putting their beliefs into prose or poetry, usually with calamitous aesthetic results.

Sons wanted to try its hand at selling iced tea.

wait on sb hand and foot

Oliver expects us to wait on him hand and foot.

wash your hands of sth

Dunbar has already washed his hands of the project.

Chun was not able to wash his hands of the Kwangju massacre, which dogged him throughout his eight-year rule.

Did you feel like washing your hands of me again?

I wash my hands of you.

Imagine Delwyn Pepper up so in New York, washing his hands of our business.

In the summer of 1988, King Hussein washed his hands of the territories.

Let us wash our hands of those who do not care for us.

The sooner it washes its hands of Mr Haider the better.

We can not wash our hands of this.

with your bare hands

They'll fight with their bare hands to protect their homeland.

Firemen dug with their bare hands to free Gemma Kitchiner from the storage pit on her parents' farm.

He'd strangled two children with his bare hands, then called the police to give himself up.

He was capable of killing a man with his bare hands.

I reached out to feel your forehead, but you burned so hot I could not touch you with my bare hands.

Oyama is famous for fighting bulls with his bare hands.

The novices empty vats of mutton scraps into the dustbins and pack them down with their bare hands.

The shaman broke the bones with his bare hands, and used the jagged edges to scratch at his bark.

With their bare hands, they fought to save the man who had an ear ripped off in the attack.

with your own fair hands

wring sb's hand

wring your hands

"I don't know what else to do," Dan said, wringing his hands.

Antoinette wrung her hands inside her daughter's clasp.

But you can do more than stand around the coffee bar and wring your hands with your co-workers.

He wrings his hands like a fly and clinches his eves at the awful sound of that squeaking.

He wrung his hands in pleasure at her pleasure.

I am not thinking simply of an inventory of the human woes that people wring their hands about.

I remember my father standing over her sickbed, wringing his hands, so afraid of losing another child.

Jenny fretted, wrung her hands.

She was wringing her hands, pulling at her lovely mane of hair.

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

a hired hand

Go wash your hands.

the hour hand

The letter was written in a neat hand .

We played a couple of hands of poker.

EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS

Even the town crier of nearby Faringdon was on hand to give an official reception.

It was a lazy, almost careless gesture; only Caroline knew that the pressure of his hand was remorseless and proprietorial.

My father looked at the wall, looked at his hands.

She covers her face with her hand .

Some one, I thought with illumination, who knew how easily Olympia had died from hands round the neck.

The core, on the other hand , consists of divine goodness.

The distinction between agreements under hand and covenants under seal has been largely obliterated.

II. verb

COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS

■ NOUN

ball

Then Baker handed the ball to Hernandez for two innings, and then to Beck.

I reached in and handed him the ball .

card

Feeling slightly unreal, Joe handed up his card .

At one point Jeffries walked in, trailed by Taiwo, and appeared to hand a card to a student.

He was handed back his identity card .

You hand your smart card to the cashier at a restaurant and she runs it through a scanner.

Antonio fished in his back pocket and handed him a card .

The taxi-driver in Glasgow handed Carole Lacey his card .

Polite brides will hand out more cards to thank guests for sharing their special day.

cash

Steven White, 21, terrified staff at five banks into handing over cash , Southwark Crown Court heard.

A leading councillor is concerned about the way the Government is handing out community care cash .

If they guessed on which side it fell, he handed over £100 cash .

In each of the robberies the raider handed over notes demanding cash and claiming he had a gun.

cup

Although his eyes were red, the young man seemed calm - until Huy handed him a cup of beer.

He took a gulp and handed his cup to her.

As she handed him his cup the telephone rang.

She handed them their cups of tea.

It couldn't have, judging by her expression as she stood there handing him a cup of tea.

Zahara handed Jane a cup of water.

Alexei drank a little of the sweet wine, then handed his cup to Jotan.

Silently she handed him her cup and watched him sip it appreciatively, his eyes on hers the entire time.

decision

The commission will seek to arbitrate a resolution before handing down a decision in late summer.

Just a few months earlier, the Supreme Court had handed down a decision inviting states to pass abortion restrictions.

In 1969, the U. S. Supreme Court handed down a historic decision that challenged the reasonableness test.

Nor will courts building upon Roe be likely to hand down erroneous decisions as a consequence.

Barr asserted that Congress should act to forestall the inevitable confusion and litigation when the Hawaii court hands down its decision .

envelope

As soon as she'd entered the hotel she'd been handed a white envelope containing a fax message.

He dug into his coat and handed Miguel a thick envelope .

Kevin had handed Fat Freddy an envelope on the steps of the bank.

Verdugo hands guests small white envelopes soliciting donations for funerals and reconstruction of the shrine.

He then hands Primo a letter-sized envelope .

glass

She went into the bathroom and added water to the whisky, then came back out and handed him a glass .

He handed her the glass of iced water and began to pace up and down restlessly.

He brings the drinks silently and hands me a glass .

With that in mind Charity should have firmly handed back the glasses .

I handed Glen the glass with ice, pouring Scotch into it.

She sipped the bubbly liquid and handed the glass back to Adrienne who sat down close beside her.

key

But by handing over the keys he did not necessarily escape his debts.

Rob handed over the Toyota keys .

He handed over the keys to Angoulême and Montignac and their walls too were razed to the ground.

They handed a set of keys and a book of records over to me.

The effect was akin to handing the keys of a fast car to a young and irresponsible driver.

His bland face showed no expression as she filled out the registration form and he handed her a key .

I handed Richie the keys to the truck and tried not to think too hard about the journey home.

A clerk told him the number of his reserved room, and handed a bellboy the key .

leaflet

They used to travel around a lot, handing out leaflets and things.

Some one from the Spartacus League, a radical political group, hands out leaflets from the sidewalk.

Persons who hand out leaflets clearly distribute them, and so might be guilty under section 4.

Oswald was handing out leaflets in the street.

The supermarket may hand out pretty green-and-white leaflets boasting its environmental concerns.

This kind of approach is far more effective than handing out government information leaflets .

One of them was dressed in a Bugs Bunny rabbit costume and was handing out leaflets .

letter

Councillor Tait has now been handed a letter which expresses concern over Mr Gilbert's dual role.

At the head of the line, I attempted once more to hand over my letter , and to explain.

If handing over the letters was what it took, then so be it.

Well, perhaps handing him a letter is best.

He had read the number off the old-fashioned dial phone as he handed his last letter in.

Ruth handed the letter to Ernest.

money

Therefore, are we not wise in being extremely cautious before we hand over our money supply to a third party?

Briefly, it would require making Fong rich without actually handing him the money .

There's no greater pleasure than handing over money to a local supplier who helps make life easier.

Cashiers learned to hand over the money as soon as they appeared.

You handed me back that money , remember?

It was not an indiscriminate method of handing out money to all and sundry.

The greying gunman pulled the weapon out of a carrier bag and threatened to shoot a cashier unless she handed over money .

note

The sailors face split into a grin for the first tame when Yanto handed him four pound notes .

Without a word he sprung to his feet and handed Mitchell a note , folded carefully into quarters.

Balvinder got out his wallet and handed two 100-rupee notes to his neighbour.

Nico was about to move on, when I, seated at counsel table, handed him a note .

The moment I arrived the proprietress handed me a note with Bobbie's decisive writing on the envelope.

I fumbled in my back pocket and handed him the crumpled note .

Robert Floyd had walked into Binns in Darlington and handed a note to the 24-year-old assistant on the perfume counter.

I tried to hand him back the notes .

notice

On Wednesday she handed in her notice to the managing director, who was touchingly reluctant to accept it.

But she has now handed in her notice and will leave the £15,000-a-year job in a fortnight.

The day that! handed in my notice I went and put a deposit on a new car.

paper

After a few minutes Rose handed the paper back to him.

He handed a twist of paper to Mrs Goreng.

Colleagues in whom he had boundless confidence had handed him papers which he had signed without reading them.

He wondered why he felt helpless as she handed him the paper bag and patted his arm.

Yet she hands back the paper with loops and letters from first line to last.

The counselor handed me the paper .

plate

As with all great adventures and challenges, the rewards and achievements are not handed out on a plate .

Some one hands me a plate heaped with food and a plastic spoon, and I taste the salty, luscious beans.

When I sat down I was handed a plate made of real china which had bread and butter and cakes on it.

As he finished he smiled and handed me the empty plate .

They handed me a cardboard plate on which was an apple, a slice of cake, and some homemade toffee.

power

We break that trust by handing over power to unelected people without any mechanism for changing their decisions.

His proposal effectively would trigger the untested constitutional process for handing over power to Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin.

He then handed power to an elected government, but it failed to stop the economic decline.

In allowing life to grow in the womb, a woman is partly handing over to powers outside her conscious control.

His attempt to introduce democracy by handing over power to the elected president in 1993 failed.

We have handed over that power .

The people, by a tacit and irrevocable act of delegation, had handed over their powers to the monarch.

Handing over the power to tax and spend means handing over the power to govern.

rein

On his birthday, Hal himself may hand the reins to a new science fiction image of the future.

Nicholson, 58, becomes the second Colorado politician this week to be handed the reins of a national party.

sentence

A second lesson is that the heavy sentence handed down on Wacker will not deter the trade.

Death sentences were handed down to eight of the accused.

He knew the sentences that had been handed down to his associates.

He upheld the death sentences handed down by lower courts.

task

After a week, Loppe handed the task back to Galiot, mentioning that business required him in Kouklia.

If he does play, Mowbray is likely to be handed the demanding task of subduing Mark Hateley.

■ VERB

hold

Miss Rose and Uncle Billy; holding hands on the front row.

They were sitting there holding hands .

refuse

I don't have faith because I have always refused to hand over my reason.

shake

She remembered John moving off to shake hands along a chain fence, his face rigid in the gray drizzle.

We shook hands a second time.

You can almost see the Page 1 picture now of the president and the network chiefs all shaking hands next week.

I liked shaking hands at the end of the third round.

He watched them shake hands and embrace.

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

(at) first hand

Students in the program are exposed first hand to college life.

The school deals first hand with all the problems of today's society.

Eventually divers provided first hand evidence that sea otters use rocks as hammers under water to dislodge the abalones.

Primary data is collected by the researcher at first hand, mainly through surveys, interviews, or participant observation.

Released from prison, Rudd travelled around the country, undertaking surveys and checking information at first hand.

The visit lasted over an hour during which time Neil Kinnock experienced at first hand what carpet manufacturing was all about.

These two boys say nothing to me as they get in, first handing their weapons to their friends.

Work is developed from first hand sources and observed drawing.

Your letters were very welcome, but I still want to hear everything at first hand.

(have) sb's blood on your hands

But I already have too much blood on my hands.

Dad with blood on his hands.

He hated to see her with blood on her hands.

I want him to know he has my son's blood on his hands.

Republicans spent eight years trying to prove President Clinton had blood on his hands.

There's blood on my hands, mine or hers I don't know.

There was blood on his hands and I thought he'd had an accident.

I've only got one pair of hands

a bird in the hand (is worth two in the bush)

a firm hand

A firm hand on the reins?

Although he runs the operation with a firm hand, the Steelers are more like a family than any other team.

Finally fold the ribbon back on itself and press the strain relief device into position with firm hand pressure.

In fact, a firm hand might have steered the team on the rocks.

In other respects careful management and a firm hand pushed up the royal income.

Lizzy would need a firm hand after this.

The guests had been selected with a boldness and discrimination in which the initiated recognized the firm hand of Catherine the Great.

When Barkley Ball was at its peak, there was little need for a firm hand.

a safe pair of hands

a safe pair of hands

an extra pair of hands

But an extra pair of hands is still needed, especially during busy periods.

The clinical teacher should be part of the ward team, but must resist becoming an extra pair of hands.

We could visit a theatre, and there would be an extra pair of hands in the garden.

back-handed compliment

It's a back-handed compliment really, you know.

be a dab hand at/with sth

However, they might be a dab hand at needlework or crochet.

She was a dab hand at couplets, was Rosie.

They should be dab hands with the diapers, and more in touch with their emotions.

Workers at the Wellingborough factory are dab hands at turning out unusual orders.

be an old hand (at sth)

Helms is an old hand at backroom politics.

Blue is an old hand at such compositions and has never had any trouble with them.

Habitat is an old hand at changing habits of a lifetime.

Pete Zimmerman is an old hand at water initiatives.

These were old hands, and Dawn Run was effectively still a novice.

We are old hands in the public-school system.

be in safe hands

Parents want to make sure they're leaving their children in safe hands.

Ambulances arrived, Ivor and Pauline were in safe hands.

I believed he was in safe hands.

If we can tap it successfully - our future is in safe hands.

My neck and hand were in safe hands-four of them.

So if it was going to get rough she couldn't be in safer hands.

be putty in sb's hands

capable hands

But they weren't capable hands.

I am glad that the business continues to flourish in the capable hands of Rodney Shipsey - the third generation.

I leave it all in your strong, capable hands.

It was no affair of his that she had left the London studio in the capable hands of her assistant.

May the Town Crier remain in the very capable hands of the college students and lecturers for a long time to come.

Think penitent ... and in less capable hands, downright dull.

You are in my capable hands.

clean hands

Bull leaned out of the window, gripping the edge of the crumbling sill with spotlessly clean hands.

I wish I had discovered his method of undertaking glassfibre repairs with clean hands and no brush years ago.

No one comes to the bargaining table with thoroughly clean hands, but we can be thankful that they still show up.

Out of this sordid mix of political short-sightedness and commercial greed, no government emerges with clean hands.

The patient himself may pick one up with clean hands, but no one else.

Their support is based on a belief that the left governments have clean hands and have improved municipal services.

either side/end/hand etc

A pipe-freezing kit makes two plugs of ice either side of the joint so that you can cut through the pipes.

A trained work elephant then moved up on either side, rather like tugs docking a ship.

Fry bacon, turning until brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes either side.

On either side of each barrier it leaves similar pockets of high and low cloud cover, of arid and lush terrain.

On either side of the road are groves of guava trees.

The guns chattered out either side of our Huey.

The hall takes up the central bay through the two storeys; the dining- and drawing-rooms are on either side.

White dunes made walls on either side of them.

fall/get into the wrong hands

A crossed cheque therefore gives some protection against fraud if it falls into the wrong hands.

And images of Kurds on tape could fall into the wrong hands.

But some gun dealers have stopped selling replicas, because they're worried about them falling into the wrong hands.

Cards falling into the wrong hands cost the industry three hundred pounds every minute.

I will never allow Kirsty to fall into the wrong hands.

Pentagon officials say they have already had some success reducing the risk that nuclear materials will fall into the wrong hands.

Voice over Mr Foulkes is seeking Government safeguards to prevent Rayo from falling into the wrong hands.

give sb a free hand/rein

They've given me a free hand with the budget, as long as I stay under $10,000.

Both these factors gave him a freer hand to negotiate.

He's given me a free hand to buy horses.

I would discuss the script, say, on proportional representation, and then give him free rein.

It turns them on and gives them a free hand to be as obnoxious as they want.

No advanced industrial nation gives corporations a freer hand in busting unions.

No, it was thanks to my culinary abilities that Marie-Claude gave me free rein of both her kitchen and her bedchamber.

Then I pretty much give them free rein.

While watching him at work she impulsively asked to borrow his materials and followed his advice to give her imagination free rein.

go cap in hand (to sb)

Advertisers used to go to museums, cap in hand, to ask permission to use a painting for an advertisement.

grubby hands/paws/mitts

Benedict imprisoned her closer, oblivious to her grubby hands caught against the pristine whiteness of his neckcloth.

Every grubby penny I can get my grubby hands on, every grubby day of my grubby little life..

The children are fighting under the tank, catching drips like diamonds in their grubby hands.

guiding light/hand/star

And that is what Aeneas's young son did under the guiding hand of Alecto.

Eddie was his hero, his guiding light.

Father Peter, its guiding light, was also its provider of funds and sustenance.

That will be the guiding light of the next Labour government.

To followers, he is more than just a guiding light - he is the Messiah.

Under Mr Yarrow's guiding hand, the reputation of the school was untarnished, these five long years.

hand in your notice/give (your) notice

hand/give/offer sb sth on a plate

have the whip hand

With the advent of term limits in the state Legislature, Orange County will have the whip hand.

have your hands/fingers in the till

have/gain the upper hand

Police have gained the upper hand over the drug dealers in the area.

But slowly and surely the followers of Chaos gained the upper hand.

If the two had been introduced simultaneously, the larger one would invariably have the upper hand.

Now White gains the upper hand.

Officials said they might reopen the freeway at 5 p. m. today, perhaps sooner if firefighters gain the upper hand overnight.

The world can only pray that they do not gain the upper hand.

Under the proposed law, she would have the upper hand.

We must destroy them now, while we yet have the upper hand.

When you have a gun you have the upper hand, it makes you feel big, bad.

have/hold sth in your hot little hand

hold/have sb in the palm of your hand

She's got the whole committee in the palm of her hand.

take matters into your own hands

The city council took matters into its own hands and set a date for the meeting.

As a result, some countries have taken matters into their own hands.

Finally the women of Buntong Tiga can stand it no longer - they take matters into their own hands.

She then took matters into her own hands.

She was more than capable of taking matters into her own hands.

So why not take matters into our own hands?

The last thing leaders want is Tutsi who survived the genocide taking matters into their own hands.

When the psycho is caught, then let go on a technicality, Mom takes matters into her own hands.

take the law into your own hands

Citizens should not be expected to take the law into their own hands.

take/hand over the reins

Campbell Christie takes over the reins at Brockville tomorrow.

Finally, on November 24, he took over the reins of the Puzzle Palace from the retiring director.

The younger generation had taken over the reins .

the ball of the foot/hand

Calluses grow on the ball of the foot and do not have a nucleus.

However, I would suggest that you subsequently attack employing the ball of the foot rather than the injured instep.

Raise your back heel and rest your weight on the ball of the foot.

The heel of your leading foot should touch the ground, just before the ball of the foot and toes.

The jumping turning kick: strike with the ball of the foot, keeping the back leg tucked up.

the dead hand of sth

the dead hand of bureaucracy

It isn't about the dead hand of the past, the unsettled guilt-edged accounts of history returning to haunt the present.

State legislatures and Congress are no longer gripped as they once were by the dead hand of privilege.

Such a move would reimpose the dead hand of state control and political interference.

The core of the neoliberal argument is the need to free enterprise and initiative from the dead hand of the state.

The main problem is the dead hand of local authorities, which keep tens of thousands of properties empty.

Then there was Marta from Spartanburg, who was fleeing the dead hand of middle-class rectitude.

the devil makes/finds work for idle hands

the flat of sb's hand/a knife/a sword etc

the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing

time hangs/lies heavy on your hands

with your bare hands

They'll fight with their bare hands to protect their homeland.

Firemen dug with their bare hands to free Gemma Kitchiner from the storage pit on her parents' farm.

He'd strangled two children with his bare hands, then called the police to give himself up.

He was capable of killing a man with his bare hands.

I reached out to feel your forehead, but you burned so hot I could not touch you with my bare hands.

Oyama is famous for fighting bulls with his bare hands.

The novices empty vats of mutton scraps into the dustbins and pack them down with their bare hands.

The shaman broke the bones with his bare hands, and used the jagged edges to scratch at his bark.

With their bare hands, they fought to save the man who had an ear ripped off in the attack.

with your own fair hands

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

As the delegates entered the room they were each handed a name-badge.

The nurse handed me a glass of brown liquid and told me to drink it.

Would you please hand your ticket to the man at the door.

EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS

Alternatively, you can pay £2266 and get the whole kit without handing over your old parts.

Here, you simply hand over your money to a stockbroker.

I said, and handed it back.

It's not just the gross amounts of money that have been handed out to undeserving executives.

The boy handed him a limp paper bag that smelled of tuna fish.

Therefore, are we not wise in being extremely cautious before we hand over our money supply to a third party?

Longman DOCE5 Extras English vocabulary.      Дополнительный английский словарь Longman DOCE5.