hands-down
easy: a hands-down victory.
certain: a book destined to be a hands-down bestseller.
Origin of hands-down
1Words Nearby hands-down
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use hands-down in a sentence
hands-down the best music video in years—and one of the best ever.
The 14 Best Songs of 2014: Bobby Shmurda, Future Islands, Drake, and More | Marlow Stern | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSo, in the long struggle between war and the animal video, the animal video wins hands down.
The Taliban Trolled the Internet with a Dog Video and Upstaged an American POW | Brian Van Reet | February 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIf there was a contest between Justin and, say, Usher, Usher would win hands down.
Super Bowl’s ‘Nipplegate’ Fiasco 10 Years Later: The Pop Diva, the Boob, and the Outrage | Marlow Stern | February 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe urged President Obama “to put the Quran down” and come out of the White House with his hands down, or up.
Ghosts of the Confederacy Out in Force as Fringe Rules GOP | Eleanor Clift | October 16, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTPlane Crash “Seattle Grace Mercy West” is hands down the unluckiest hospital in the world.
11 Wacky, Moving, Memorable ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Moments (VIDEO) | Chancellor Agard | October 10, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
I stepped forward, came close behind him where he sat, and suddenly clapping my two hands down upon his shoulders—“Ah!”
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 10 (of 25) | Robert Louis StevensonNow then, bring your hands down slow, and keep 'em close together.
From Place to Place | Irvin S. CobbAll had their hands down but one, whose arms were up over his head.
The Banner Boy Scouts on a Tour | George A. WarrenLooking in the pink of condition, Chalk came out for the first event, one mile, and won hands down by several lengths.
Life and sport in China | Oliver G. ReadyI entered the boat and it was rowed swiftly by unseen hands down the stream.
Laos Folk-Lore of Farther India | Katherine Neville Fleeson
Other Idioms and Phrases with hands-down
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.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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