Chapter Hands to Hand over Hand of H by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Hands to Hand over Hand

   iii. Hand. (Phrases beginning with "To.")
   COME TO HAND. To arrive; to have been delivered.
   To come to one's hand. It is easy to do.
   GET ONE'S HAND IN. To become familiar with the work in hand.
   HAVE A HAND IN THE MATTER. To have a finger in the pie. In French, "Mettre la main à quelque chose."
   KISS THE HAND (Job xxxi. 27) To worship false gods. Cicero (In Verrem, lib. iv. 43) speaks of a statue of Hercules, the chin and lips of which were considerably worn by the kisses of his worshippers. Hosea (xiii. 2) says, "Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves." (See Adore.)

"I have left me seven thousand in Israel ... which have not bowed unto Baal, and ... which [have] not kissed [their hand to] him." - 1 Kings xix. 18.

   LEND A HAND. To help. In French, " Prêtez moi la main."
   LIVE FROM HAND TO MOUTH. To live without any provision for the morrow.
   TAKE IN HAND. To undertake to do something; to take the charge of.

   iv. Hand (preceded by a preposition).
   AT HAND. Conveniently near. "Near at hand," quite close by. In French, "A la main."
   BEFOREHAND. Sooner, before it happened.
   BEHINDHAND. Not in time, not up to date.
   BY THE HAND OF GOD. "Accidit divinitus."
   FROM HAND TO HAND. From one person to another.
   IN HAND. Under control, in possession; under progress, as "Avoir la main á l'oeuvre."

"Keep him well in hand."
"I have some in hand, and more in expectation."
"I have a new book or picture in hand."

   A bird in the hand. (See BIRD.)
   OFF HAND. At once; without stopping.
   Off one's hands. No longer under one's responsibilities; able to maintain oneself.
   OUT OF HAND. At once, over.

"We will proclaim you out of hand."
Shakespeare: 3 Henry VI., iv. 7.

"And, were these inward wars once out of hand,
We would, dear lords, unto the Holy Land."
Shakespeare: 2 Henry IV., iii. 1.

   WITH A HIGH HAND. Imperiously, arrogantly. In French, "Faire quelque chose haut la main."

   v. Hand. (Miscellaneous articles.)
   LAYING ON OF HANDS. The laying on of a bishop's hands in confirmation or ordination.
   PUTTING THE HAND UNDER THE THIGH. An ancient ceremony used in swearing.

"And Abraham said unto his eldest servant ... Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: and I will make thee swear ... that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites." - Genesis xxiv. 2, 3.

Hands Persons employed in a factory. We say so many head of cattle: horse-dealers count noses. Races are won by the nose, and factory work by the hand, but cattle have the place of honour.

Hands
   ALL. It is believed on all hands. It is generally (or universally) believed.
   CHANGE. To change hands. To pass from a possessor to someone else.
   CLEAN. He has clean hands. In French, "Il a les mains nettes." That is, he is incorruptible, or he has never taken a bribe.
   FULL. My hands are full. I am fully occupied; I have as much work to do as I can manage. A "handful" has the plural "handfuls," as "two handfuls," same as "two barrow-loads," "two cart-loads," etc.
   GOOD. I have it from very good hands. I have received my information on good authority.
   LAY. To lay hands on. To apprehend; to lay hold of. (See No. v.)

"Lay hands on the villain."
Shakespeare: Taming of the Shrew, v. 1.

   LONG. Kings have long hands. In French, "Les rois ont les mains longues." That is, it is hard to escape from the vengeance of a king, for his hands or agents extend over the whole of his kingdom.
   SHAKE. To shake hands. To salute by giving a hand received into your own a shake.
   To strike hands. (Prov. xvii. 18). To make a contract, to become surety for another. (See also Prov. vii. I and xxii. 26.) The English custom of shaking hands in confirmation of a bargain has been common to all nations and all ages. In feudal times the vassal put his hands in the hands of his overlord on taking the oath of fidelity and homage.
   SHOP "Hands," etc. Men and women employed in a shop.
   TAKE OFF. To take off one's hands. To relieve one of something troublesome, as "Will no one take this [task] off my hands?"
   WASH. To wash one's hands of a thing. In