n the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
he had the hands of a surgeon
n a hired laborer on a farm or ranch
the hired hand fixed the railing a ranch hand
n something written by hand
she recognized his handwriting his hand was illegible
n ability
he wanted to try his hand at singing
n a position given by its location to the side of an object
objections were voiced on every hand
n the cards held in a card game by a given player at any given time
I didn't hold a good hand all evening he kept trying to see my hand
n one of two sides of an issue
on the one hand..., but on the other hand...
n a rotating pointer on the face of a timepiece
the big hand counts the minutes
n a unit of length equal to 4 inches; used in measuring horses
the horse stood 20 hands
n a member of the crew of a ship
all hands on deck
n a card player in a game of bridge
we need a 4th hand for bridge
n a round of applause to signify approval
give the little lady a great big hand
n terminal part of the forelimb in certain vertebrates (e.g. apes or kangaroos)
the kangaroo's forearms seem undeveloped but the powerful five-fingered hands are skilled at feinting and clouting"- Springfield (Mass.) Union
n physical assistance
give me a hand with the chores
v place into the hands or custody of
hand me the spoon, please
v guide or conduct or usher somewhere
hand the elderly lady into the taxi
n inflammatory histiocytosis associated with disturbance of cholesterol metabolism; occurs chiefly in young children and is characterized by cystic defects of the skull and diabetes insipidus