hand over fist

Idioms  

1. Rapidly, at a tremendous rate, as in He's making money hand over fist. This expression is derived from the nautical hand over hand, describing how a sailor climbed a rope. [First half of 1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hand over fist

American consumers and small businesses alike are spitting fire these days about the cost of credit cards, while the companies profiting from them are making money hand over fist.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2026

“Instead of buying hand over fist, China may cool down a little bit,” said Denton Cinquegrana, chief oil analyst at OPIS, which, like The Wall Street Journal, is owned by Dow Jones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 18, 2026

Again, don't hold your breath – the company has been losing money hand over fist, the blast furnaces are nearing the end of their useful life, and the cost of energy it gulps is enormous.

From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2025

"Most of these guys are generating cash hand over fist and they are trying to reduce their reliance on banks, because they have seen how quickly banks are turning on the industry."

From Reuters ● Nov. 24, 2022

OK, so we were losing money hand over fist, my dad was crumbling like a day-old scone, and my brother might die.

From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick

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