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hired hand

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noun
  1. a hired laborer, especially on a farm or ranch; farm hand or ranch hand.
  2. an employee.
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Origin of hired hand

An Americanism dating back to 1810–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for hired hand

agent, apprentice, assistant, attendant, breadwinner, clerk, cog, craftsperson, domestic, hand, help, hireling, jobholder, laborer, member, operator, plug, representative

Idioms and Phrases with hired hand

hired hand

Also, hired man or girl. A person engaged to assist with farm or domestic chores, as in We need extra hired hands during the harvest, or She was looking for a hired girl to do the laundry. This use of hired dates from the 1200s and referred to someone employed for wages as opposed to a slave or serf. The use of girl now may be offensive.

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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.