old hand

American  

noun

1. a person who is experienced in or familiar with a subject, area, procedure, etc..

   The guide you just hired is an old hand at leading safaris.

---

old hand British  

noun

1. a person who is skilled at something through long experience

2. informal (in the 19th century) an ex-convict

3. informal a person who is long established in a place

---

Etymology

Origin of old hand

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

Rashford, also bidding to earn a World Cup slot with England while on loan from Manchester United, will be experiencing an El Clasico for the first time, but Bellingham is an old hand.

From BBC • Oct. 25, 2025

Former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin is an old hand, having made world headlines back in 2003 by opposing the U.S. war in Iraq in an eloquent U.N. address.

From Salon • Mar. 2, 2025

An old hand at broadcast network cop shows including “Law & Order” and “NYPD Blue,” Finkelstein, 70, was partnered by Warner Bros.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2022

“She was coming in against an old hand with a tremendously complicated record in an important case, but she seemed to handle it with ease,” Klugh said in an interview.

From Washington Post • Sep. 9, 2022

To keep the bedroom doors from slamming shut in the wind from the bay, they prop them open with old hand irons Molly found in one of the boxes in the attic.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Related Words

• old-timer