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back of one's hand

Rejection or contempt, as in Unimpressed with him, she gave the back of her hand to his suggestion. This phrase is usually the object of a verb such as give or show. [Second half of 1700s] Back of the hand similarly means “an insult” in the term back-handed compliment (see under left-handed compliment) but has a quite different meaning in know like the back of one's hand (see under know like a book).

Content related to back of one's hand

Tuesday Is Named For A One-handed God Named TiwYes, it’s true, there’s a wild story behind the god who lends his name to Tuesday. Tiw’s remarkable myth involves women with beards (more on that in a bit). Regardless, the past 1,000 years or so have not been kind to this Northern European divinity. Who is Tuesday named for? To make a long story short, it seems that Tiw used to be a big shot, …
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One of These Words is Not (Exactly) Like the OtherThe slight difference between anticipate and expect has to do with whether or not any action is taken.
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Words nearby back of one's hand

back o' beyond, back o' bourke, back of, back of beyond, back of bourke, back of one's hand, back of one's mind, back off, back office, back on one's feet, back order
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.