hand

Hand (?), n. A gambling game played by American Indians, consisting of guessing the whereabouts of bits of ivory or the like, which are passed rapidly from hand to hand.

Hand , v. i. To coöperate. [Obs.]

Massinger.

Hand (hănd), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Handed; p. pr. & vb. n. Handing.]

1. To give, pass, or transmit with the hand; as, he handed them the letter.

2. To lead, guide, or assist with the hand; to conduct; as, to hand a lady into a carriage.

3. To manage; as, I hand my oar. [Obs.] Prior.

4. To seize; to lay hands on. [Obs.] Shak.

5. To pledge by the hand; to handfast. [R.]

6. (Naut.) To furl; -- said of a sail. Totten.

To hand down, to transmit in succession, as from father to son, or from predecessor to successor; as, fables are handed down from age to age; to forward to the proper officer (the decision of a higher court); as, the Clerk of the Court of Appeals handed down its decision. -- To hand over, to yield control of; to surrender; to deliver up.

Hand (hănd), n. [AS. hand, hond; akin to D., G., & Sw. hand, OHG. hant, Dan. haand, Icel. hönd, Goth. handus, and perh. to Goth. hinþan to seize (in comp.). Cf. Hunt.]

1. That part of the fore limb below the forearm or wrist in man and monkeys, and the corresponding part in many other animals; manus; paw. See Manus.

2. That which resembles, or to some extent performs the office of, a human hand; as: (a) A limb of certain animals, as the foot of a hawk, or any one of the four extremities of a monkey. (b) An index or pointer on a dial; as, the hour or minute hand of a clock.

3. A measure equal to a hand's breadth, -- four inches; a palm. Chiefly used in measuring the height of horses.

4. Side; part; direction, either right or left.

On this hand and that hand, were hangings.

The Protestants were then on the winning hand.

5. Power of performance; means of execution; ability; skill; dexterity.

He had a great mind to try his hand at a Spectator.

6. Actual performance; deed; act; workmanship; agency; hence, manner of performance.

To change the hand in carrying on the war.

Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by my hand.

7. An agent; a servant, or laborer; a workman, trained or competent for special service or duty; a performer more or less skillful; as, a deck hand; a farm hand; an old hand at speaking.

A dictionary containing a natural history requires too many hands, as well as too much time, ever to be hoped for.

I was always reckoned a lively hand at a simile.

8. Handwriting; style of penmanship; as, a good, bad, or running hand. Hence, a signature.

I say she never did invent this letter;
This is a man's invention and his hand.

Some writs require a judge's hand.

9. Personal possession; ownership; hence, control; direction; management; -- usually in the plural. "Receiving in hand one year's tribute." Knolles.

Albinus . . . found means to keep in his hands the government of Britain.

10. Agency in transmission from one person to another; as, to buy at first hand, that is, from the producer, or when new; at second hand, that is, when no longer in the producer's hand, or when not new.

11. Rate; price. [Obs.] "Business is bought at a dear hand, where there is small dispatch." Bacon.

12. That which is, or may be, held in a hand at once; as: (a) (Card Playing) The quota of cards received from the dealer. (b) (Tobacco Manuf.) A bundle of tobacco leaves tied together.

13. (Firearms) The small part of a gunstock near the lock, which is grasped by the hand in taking aim.

&fist; Hand is used figuratively for a large variety of acts or things, in the doing, or making, or use of which the hand is in some way employed or concerned; also, as a symbol to denote various qualities or conditions, as: (a) Activity; operation; work; -- in distinction from the head, which implies thought, and the heart, which implies affection. "His hand will be against every man." Gen. xvi. 12.(b) Power; might; supremacy; -- often in the Scriptures. "With a mighty hand . . . will I rule over you." Ezek. xx. 33. (c) Fraternal feeling; as, to give, or take, the hand; to give the right hand. (d) Contract; -- commonly of marriage; as, to ask the hand; to pledge the hand.

&fist; Hand is often used adjectively or in compounds (with or without the hyphen), signifying performed by the hand; as, hand blow or hand-blow, hand gripe or hand-gripe: used by, or designed for, the hand; as, hand ball or handball, hand bow, hand fetter, hand grenade or hand-grenade, handgun or hand gun, handloom or hand loom, handmill or hand organ or handorgan, handsaw or hand saw, hand-weapon: measured or regulated by the hand; as, handbreadth or hand's breadth, hand gallop or hand-gallop. Most of the words in the following paragraph are written either as two words or in combination.

Hand bag, a satchel; a small bag for carrying books, papers, parcels, etc. -- Hand basket, a small or portable basket. -- Hand bell, a small bell rung by the hand; a table bell. Bacon. -- Hand bill, a small pruning hook. See 4th Bill. -- Hand car. See under Car. -- Hand director (Mus.), an instrument to aid in forming a good position of the hands and arms when playing on the piano; a hand guide. -- Hand drop. See Wrist drop. -- Hand gallop. See under Gallop. -- Hand gear (Mach.), apparatus by means of which a machine, or parts of a machine, usually operated by other power, may be operated by hand. -- Hand glass. (a) A glass or small glazed frame, for the protection of plants. (b) A small mirror with a handle. -- Hand guide. Same as Hand director (above). -- Hand language, the art of conversing by the hands, esp. as practiced by the deaf and dumb; dactylology. -- Hand lathe. See under Lathe. -- Hand money, money paid in hand to bind a contract; earnest money. -- Hand organ (Mus.), a barrel organ, operated by a crank turned by hand. -- Hand plant. (Bot.) Same as Hand tree (below). -- Hand rail, a rail, as in staircases, to hold by. Gwilt. -- Hand sail, a sail managed by the hand. Sir W. Temple. -- Hand screen, a small screen to be held in the hand. -- Hand screw, a small jack for raising heavy timbers or weights; (Carp.) a screw clamp. -- Hand staff (pl. Hand staves), a javelin. Ezek. xxxix. 9. -- Hand stamp, a small stamp for dating, addressing, or canceling papers, envelopes, etc. -- Hand tree (Bot.), a lofty tree found in Mexico (Cheirostemon platanoides), having red flowers whose stamens unite in the form of a hand. -- Hand vise, a small vise held in the hand in doing small work. Moxon. -- Hand work, or Handwork, work done with the hands, as distinguished from work done by a machine; handiwork. -- All hands, everybody; all parties. -- At all hands, On all hands, on all sides; from every direction; generally. -- At any hand, At no hand, in any (or no) way or direction; on any account; on no account. "And therefore at no hand consisting with the safety and interests of humility." Jer. Taylor. -- At first hand, At second hand. See def. 10 (above). -- At hand. (a) Near in time or place; either present and within reach, or not far distant. "Your husband is at hand; I hear his trumpet." Shak. (b) Under the hand or bridle. [Obs.] "Horses hot at hand." Shak. -- At the hand of, by the act of; as a gift from. "Shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil?" Job ii. 10. -- Bridle hand. See under Bridle. -- By hand, with the hands, in distinction from instrumentality of tools, engines, or animals; as, to weed a garden by hand; to lift, draw, or carry by hand. -- Clean hands, freedom from guilt, esp. from the guilt of dishonesty in money matters, or of bribe taking. "He that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger." Job xvii. 9. -- From hand to hand, from one person to another. -- Hand in hand. (a) In union; conjointly; unitedly. Swift. (b) Just; fair; equitable.

As fair and as good, a kind of hand in hand comparison.

Appetites have . . . got such a hand over them.

That the Lord thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to.