Many Handy 'Hand' Expressions
2024-05-26
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2Every day, we do countless things with our hands.
3So, it's not surprising that we have many "hand" expressions that describe how we do something.
4These hand expressions could be called handy ... meaning they are useful.
5When we do something with our bare hands, we do it on our own, usually with much effort.
6When we use this expression, we are expressing pride in something we have done.
7For example, let's say I decided to build my own gardening shed -- a small outdoor building for gardening supplies.
8It was hard work and took me days to finish.
9But at the end of the project, I could proudly say that I built it with my own bare hands.
10Feeling proud and finishing a big project go hand in hand.
11They go together!
12Let's say you are asked to lead a project.
13You want it to be successful.
14You want it to be on time and on budget.
15So, you lead with a firm hand.
16If you lead with a firm hand, you are strict.
17You follow all the rules closely. You don't let jokes or laziness affect your team's progress.
18Teachers can teach with a firm hand.
19And parents can parent with a firm hand, too.
20Having a firm hand and being strict go hand in hand.
21A firm hand is not the same as a heavy hand.
22If a person or organization has a heavy hand, they use a lot of force or power to control people and events.
23A heavy hand is often considered a bad thing. When you deal with a situation with a heavy hand, you could be seen as oppressive.
24Someone who is heavy-handed is severe or harsh when dealing with others or when dealing with a situation.
25Sometimes we call this an iron hand or even an iron fist.
26A fist is a closed hand that is used for hitting.
27Now, what kind of person has a high hand? Someone who has a high hand is domineering.
28They like to be in control. They are bossy.
29Sometimes we use the adjective high-handed.
30High-handed people do not consider the rights, concerns, thoughts, or feelings of others.
31They look down on people. In other words, they are arrogant and condescending.
32Hand expressions can also describe our involvement in a situation.
33Let's look at a couple examples.
34A friend of yours asks you to find a manager for her company.
35But you don't know anyone who fits the job description.
36So, you don't suggest anyone. You don't have a hand in the selection.
37If you have a hand in something, you have helped to make it happen.
38Your friend was able to find someone for the job through another person - someone you know.
39Let's call him Bob. You know Bob, and you don't trust Bob.
40So, you warn your friend.
41But they don't take the warning seriously.
42In the end, Bob is a terrible choice.
43He steals a lot of money from your friend's company.
44Your friend is furious! And you feel bad.
45But in this matter, your hands are clean.
46You did nothing wrong.
47In fact, you tried to warn your friend.
48We use this expression to state innocence in a bad situation.
49Here's another example. Let's say you are babysitting some children.
50They want to make a cake.
51And they make a total mess in the kitchen.
52Flour, sugar, and broken eggs are everywhere.
53When their parents come home and see the mess, you can say you did not have a hand in it.
54The kids did it all. All you did was turn on the oven.
55Maybe these kids do this every time you watch them.
56You are tired of it - even though they do make tasty cake.
57So, you throw your hands up! When you throw your hands up, you are tired of fighting something.
58It is a sign that you give up.
59A good word that describes this feeling is exasperation.
60People who are exasperated are tired of something, and they often throw their hands in the air.
61And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories. Until next time, I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2Every day, we do countless things with our hands. So, it's not surprising that we have many "hand" expressions that describe how we do something. These hand expressions could be called handy ... meaning they are useful. 3When we do something with our bare hands, we do it on our own, usually with much effort. When we use this expression, we are expressing pride in something we have done. 4For example, let's say I decided to build my own gardening shed -- a small outdoor building for gardening supplies. It was hard work and took me days to finish. But at the end of the project, I could proudly say that I built it with my own bare hands. 5Feeling proud and finishing a big project go hand in hand. They go together! 6Firm hand = strict 7Let's say you are asked to lead a project. You want it to be successful. You want it to be on time and on budget. So, you lead with a firm hand. If you lead with a firm hand, you are strict. You follow all the rules closely. You don't let jokes or laziness affect your team's progress. Teachers can teach with a firm hand. And parents can parent with a firm hand, too. Having a firm hand and being strict go hand in hand. 8Heavy hand = oppressive 9A firm hand is not the same as a heavy hand. If a person or organization has a heavy hand, they use a lot of force or power to control people and events. A heavy hand is often considered a bad thing. When you deal with a situation with a heavy hand, you could be seen as oppressive. Someone who is heavy-handed is severe or harsh when dealing with others or when dealing with a situation. 10Sometimes we call this an iron hand or even an iron fist. A fist is a closed hand that is used for hitting. 11High-handed = arrogant & condescending 12Now, what kind of person has a high hand? Someone who has a high hand is domineering. They like to be in control. They are bossy. 13Sometimes we use the adjective high-handed. 14High-handed people do not consider the rights, concerns, thoughts, or feelings of others. They look down on people. In other words, they are arrogant and condescending. 15Hand expressions can also describe our involvement in a situation. Let's look at a couple examples. 16A friend of yours asks you to find a manager for her company. But you don't know anyone who fits the job description. So, you don't suggest anyone. You don't have a hand in the selection. If you have a hand in something, you have helped to make it happen. 17Your friend was able to find someone for the job through another person - someone you know. Let's call him Bob. You know Bob, and you don't trust Bob. So, you warn your friend. But they don't take the warning seriously. In the end, Bob is a terrible choice. He steals a lot of money from your friend's company. Your friend is furious! And you feel bad. 18Clean hands = innocent 19But in this matter, your hands are clean. You did nothing wrong. In fact, you tried to warn your friend. We use this expression to state innocence in a bad situation. 20Here's another example. Let's say you are babysitting some children. They want to make a cake. And they make a total mess in the kitchen. Flour, sugar, and broken eggs are everywhere. When their parents come home and see the mess, you can say you did not have a hand in it. The kids did it all. All you did was turn on the oven. 21Maybe these kids do this every time you watch them. You are tired of it - even though they do make tasty cake. So, you throw your hands up! When you throw your hands up, you are tired of fighting something. It is a sign that you give up. 22A good word that describes this feeling is exasperation. People who are exasperated are tired of something, and they often throw their hands in the air. 23And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories. Until next time, I'm Anna Matteo. 24Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 25_____________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27bare -adj. lacking clothing 28pride -n. reasonable self-esteem : confidence and satisfaction in oneself 29strict -adj. severe in discipline 30oppressive -adj. cruel or harsh without just cause 31harsh -adj. making many or difficult demands 32domineering -adj. inclined to exercise arbitrary and overbearing control over others 33arrogant -adj. showing an offensive attitude of superiority 34condescending -adj. showing or characterized by a patronizing or superior attitude toward others 35furious -adj. exhibiting anger 36mess -n. a disordered, untidy, offensive, or unpleasant state or condition 37exasperated -v. having or showing strong feelings of irritation or annoyance : exasperation -n 38We want to hear from you. Do you have similar expressions in your language? Our comment policy is here.