Hazlitt.
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.
Shak.
Some writs require a judge's hand.
Burril.
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.
Milton.
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.
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.
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.
Shak.
-- Hand over hand, Hand over fist, by passing the hands alternately one
before or above another; as, to climb hand over hand; also, rapidly;
as, to come up with a chase hand over hand. -- Hand over head,
negligently; rashly; without seeing what one does. [Obs.] Bacon. --
Hand running, consecutively; as, he won ten times hand running. --
Hands off! keep off! forbear! no interference or meddling! -- Hand to
hand, in close union; in close fight; as, a hand to hand contest.
Dryden. -- Heavy hand, severity or oppression. -- In hand. (a) Paid
down. "A considerable reward in hand, and . . . a far greater reward
hereafter." Tillotson. (b) In preparation; taking place. Chaucer.
"Revels . . . in hand." Shak. (c) Under consideration, or in the course
of transaction; as, he has the business in hand. -- In one's hand or
hands. (a) In one's possession or keeping. (b) At one's risk, or peril;
as, I took my life in my hand. -- Laying on of hands, a form used in
consecrating to office, in the rite of confirmation, and in blessing
persons. -- Light hand, gentleness; moderation. -- Note of hand, a
promissory note. -- Off hand, Out of hand, forthwith; without delay,
hesitation, or difficulty; promptly. "She causeth them to be hanged up
out of hand." Spenser. -- Off one's hands, out of one's possession or
care. -- On hand, in present possession; as, he has a supply of goods
on hand. -- On one's hands, in one's possession care, or management. --
Putting the hand under the thigh, an ancient Jewish ceremony used in
swearing. -- Right hand, the place of honor, power, and strength. --
Slack hand, idleness; carelessness; inefficiency; sloth. -- Strict
hand, severe discipline; rigorous government. -- To bear a hand
(Naut.), to give help quickly; to hasten. -- To bear in hand, to keep
in expectation with false pretenses. [Obs.] Shak. -- To be hand and
glove, or in glove, with. See under Glove. -- To be on the mending
hand, to be convalescent or improving. -- To bring up by hand, to feed
(an infant) without suckling it. -- To change hand. See Change. -- To
change hands, to change sides, or change owners. Hudibras. -- To clap
the hands, to express joy or applause, as by striking the palms of the
hands together. -- To come to hand, to be received; to be taken into
possession; as, the letter came to hand yesterday. -- To get hand, to
gain influence. [Obs.]
Appetites have . . . got such a hand over them.
Baxter.
-- To get one's hand in, to make a beginning in a certain work; to
become accustomed to a particular business. -- To have a hand in, to be
concerned in; to have a part or concern in doing; to have an agency or
be employed in. -- To have in hand. (a) To have in one's power or
control. Chaucer. (b) To be engaged upon or occupied with. -- To have
one's hands full, to have in hand all that one can do, or more than can
be done conveniently; to be pressed with labor or engagements; to be
surrounded with difficulties. -- To have, or get, the (higher) upper
hand, to have, or get, the better of another person or thing. -- To his
hand, To my hand, etc., in readiness; already prepared. "The work is
made to his hands." Locke. -- To hold hand, to compete successfully or
on even conditions. [Obs.] Shak. -- To lay hands on, to seize; to
assault. -- To lend a hand, to give assistance. -- To lift, or put
forth, the hand against, to attack; to oppose; to kill. -- To live from
hand to mouth, to obtain food and other necessaries as want compels,
without previous provision. - - To make one's hand, to gain advantage
or profit. -- To put the hand unto, to steal. Ex. xxii. 8.-- To put the
last, or finishing, hand to, to make the last corrections in; to
complete; to perfect. -- To set the hand to, to engage in; to
undertake.
That the Lord thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine
hand to.
Deut. xxiii. 20.
-- To stand one in hand, to concern or affect one. -- To strike hands,
to make a contract, or to become surety for another's debt or good
behavior. -- To take in hand. (a) To attempt or undertake. (b) To seize
and deal with; as, he took him in hand. -- To wash the hands of, to
disclaim or renounce interest in, or responsibility for, a person or
action; as, to wash one's hands of a business. Matt. xxvii. 24. --
Under the hand of, authenticated by the handwriting or signature of;
as, the deed is executed under the hand and seal of the owner.
Hand (hnd), 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.