hands-down

[handz-doun]

adjective

1. easy.

   a hands-down victory.

2. certain.

   a book destined to be a hands-down bestseller.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hands down¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Idioms and Phrases

Also, in a breeze ; in a walk . Easily, without effort, as in She won the election hands down , or They won in a breeze, 10–0 , or The top players get through the first rounds of the tournament in a walk . All of these expressions originated in sports. Hands down , dating from the mid-1800s, comes from horse racing, where jockeys drop their hands downward and relax their hold when they are sure to win. In a breeze , first recorded in a baseball magazine in 1910, alludes to the rapid and easy passage of moving air; in a walk , also from baseball, alludes to taking a base on balls, that is, reaching first base without having hit a pitched ball because of the pitcher's mistakes.

Unquestionably, without a doubt, as in Hands down, it was the best thing I've ever done .

Example Sentences

And “country,” the hands-down favorite music of “real Americans,” has long been a production-line item with as much idiosyncrasy in the songs as Olive Garden breadsticks.

From Salon

In the deluge, there was a battle and the hosts won it hands-down in a total grind of an opening half.

From BBC

The belated follow-up to 1988's “Beetlejuice” owes much of its charm to its supporting cast, which is hands-down one of the most strikingly entertaining ensembles of the past decade.

From Salon

He is hands-down a progressive, even though he looks like central casting sent him to play “conservative grandpa,” though he’s only 60 — clearly a Minnesota 60 is an L.A.

From Los Angeles Times

With his hands-down, bouncing stance, Page delivered an array of strikes on Holland in the first round, including a big straight right hand, a body kick and a spinning back elbow.

From BBC

When To Use

What does hands-down mean?

Hands-down describes something that is easy, as in Our team had a hands-down win, not even breaking a sweat.Hands-down also describes something that is guaranteed, as in Hands-down, that was the hardest test so far this year! Example: Our home team would win against yours hands-down.