hands-off

American  

[handz-awf, -of] / ˈhændzˈɔf, -ˈɒf /

adjective

1. characterized by nonintervention or noninterference.

   the new hands-off foreign policy.

2. remote or unfriendly; estranging.

   a truculent, hands-off manner toward strangers.

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hands-off British  

adjective

1. (of a machine, device, etc) without need of manual operation

2. denoting a policy, etc, of deliberate noninvolvement

   a hands-off strategy towards industry

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hands off Idioms  

1. An order to stop touching or interfering with something, as in Hands off the cake, children! This idiom is also put as keep one's hands off, as in She knew she had to keep her hands off so he could learn to tie his shoes by himself. [Mid-1500s]

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Etymology

Origin of hands-off

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Generally consumer-electronics makers maintain a hands-off approach to materials suppliers that are several stages removed from the final chips that go into a phone or computer.

From The Wall Street Journal

Indeed, the administration takes a surprisingly hands-off approach.

From The Wall Street Journal

In recent decades, the U.S. has mostly taken a hands-off approach to the dollar’s relative value.

From The Wall Street Journal

The federal government takes a hands-off approach to these grants for good reason.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Truman did, ultimately, embrace the building of the Super, but in the most reluctant and hands-off way possible,” Mr. Wellerstein writes.

From The Wall Street Journal