overhandn.
/ˈəʊvəhand/, U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌ(h)ænd/, Scottish English /ˈovərhand/, Irish English /ˈoʊvərhænd/ Now Scottish, English regional (northern), and Irish English.
The upper hand; mastery, victory, superiority. Chiefly in to get (also have, etc.) the overhand. Also with of.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > mastery or superiority > [noun]
overhandc1175
masteryc1225
gree1320
betc1330
pricea1350
advantagea1393
overmasterya1400
voicea1400
betterc1405
higherc1450
prevaila1460
superiority1548
mastership1573
prevalence1604
eminence1609
privilegea1616
prevalency1623
upper fortunea1625
whipping-hand1682
whip hand1806
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 5458 To winnenn oferrhannd off uss.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 647 Brutus hefde þa ouere hond.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 1242 Guendoleine hæfde þa vfere [c1300 ouere] hond.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 1840 (MED) Þe erl cole slou þen king, & þo he adde þun ouer hond.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 5152 (MED) Þe king of west sex adde euere þe ouere hond.
c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) Orig. draft l. 566 I ne schal neuere be heuene kyng wende Or ich haue þe ouer [altered to heȝere] hand.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 2508 Fra þai had geten þe ouer-hand.
?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 129 (MED) He will send þam þe ouerhand of þaire enmys.
c1450 (a1425) Metrical Paraphr. Old Test. (Selden) 13710 (MED) Had þou schott all þies, þou suld haue had lorschep in land And ouer comyn all þin enmyse..And now by cause þou schott bot thryse, bot thre tyms þou getes þe ouerhand.
1524 T. Wolsey Let. to Pace in J. Strype Eccl. Memorials (1721) I. App. xii. 25 If he may have an overhande in Italy.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Hosea iv. 2 Theft and aduoutry haue gotten the ouerhande.
1543 ( Chron. J. Hardyng (1812) 220 Eyther of them tryste the ouerhande to gette.
1563 N. Winȝet Certain Tractates (1888) I. 50 (margin) That the wicket hes the vuir hand, it is the scurge of God.
1570 R. Sempill in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. xxiii. 90 The word of God for euer sall preuaill, And als his Kirk sall haue the ouer hand.
1602 W. Warner Epitome Hist. Eng. in Albions Eng. (rev. ed.) 368 [They] had sundrie ouerhands of the Northumbrian Danes.
1808 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. at Ouer The uvir hand, the upper hand.
1828 W. Carr Dial. Craven (ed. 2) (at cited word) ‘To have the over-hand’, to obtain the mastery.
1891 S. O. Addy Suppl. Gloss. Words Sheffield 42 He's got t'uvver hand of him.
1953 M. Traynor Eng. Dial. Donegal 205/1 Overhand,..the upper hand..I'll get the overhand of it yet.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
overhandv.
/ˈəʊvəhand/, U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌ(h)ænd/ Needlework. Now rare.
transitive. To oversew; to sew over and over. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > sewing or ornamenting textile fabric > sew or ornament textile fabric [verb (transitive)] > sew > oversew
whip1548
whip-stitch1592
overcast1706
overhand1861
oversew1864
overseam1872
to sew overhand1895
overlock1987
1861 [implied in: M. L. Hankins Women of New York xviii. 178 Kate..learned..to perform wonders in overhanding, stitching, and hemming. (at overhanding n.)].
1871 J. Burroughs Wake-robin 163 The mouth [of the Baltimore oriole's nest] is hemmed or overhanded with horse-hair.
1884 Science 16 May 590/1 The leathern sheath is simply a strip of hide, closely drawn about the wood, and overhanded together with sinews in a longitudinal seam.
1908 M. E. Morgan How to dress Doll v. 51 Overhand the neck and armholes with lace.
1936 D. Barnes Nightwood (1995) 257 Her mother darning maxims as fast as she could overhand them into hosen.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
overhandadv.adj.
/ˈəʊvəhand/, U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌ(h)ænd/ A. adv.† 1. Upside down. Obsolete. rare.† 3. Aside. Obsolete. rare.† 4. Mining. With reference to the stoping of a vein: from below upwards. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > inversion > [adverb]
upa1300
nevelinga1387
kew-kaw1399
overc1425
topsy-turvy1530
arsy-versy1545
upside down1569
overhand1579
bottom-up1598
downside up1603
top to bottom1624
inversely1657
invertedly1657
belly-up1749
topsy versy1767
topsy-turvily1886
1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 218 A man that aspired to be King, and would subuert and turne all ouerhand [Fr. & qui uouloit renuerser sans dessus dessoubs].
2.
a. With the knuckles upwards; with the hand over or above; (also) with the hand or arm raised, overarm.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > bodily movement > [adverb] > specific movement of part
overhand1598
cross-handed1836
sidearm1921
the world > movement > absence of movement > hold or holding > [adverb] > with the hand over or under the object held
above-hand1581
overhand1598
overhanded1849
underhand1885
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > [adverb] > type of throw
overhand1598
under-arm1929
1598 R. Barret Theorike & Pract. Mod. Warres Gloss. Tertiare, a Spanish word, and is to third the pike, either to beare the same vpon his shoulder, or to charge the same ouer hand.
1625 G. Markham Souldiers Accidence 23 [In] charging [with Pikes]..Port over-hand. Port vnder-hand.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 263/1 Fulkat, or Fulkating over hand [in the Game of Truck] is to make your Ball jump over his through the Argolis, when his Ball lies directly in the way before you.
1770 Trial W. Wemms 40 He threw it [sc. the stick] considerable hard, he threw it over hand.
1835 A. Smith Diary 19 Nov. (1940) II. 279 The Mantatee tribes throw the karie overhand,..the Batclapins, etc. underhand.
1864 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1865) I. i. vi. 57 He now clutched his knife overhand, and struck downward with it.
1890 Amer. Naturalist 24 1004 It [sc. the monkey] threw stones with considerable precision, overhand.
1982 J. Updike Bech is Back 125 Tomboyishly she..wads the drenched nylon and chucks it overhand into one of the UFO-like trash barrels.
1996 Canad. Living Sept. 46/1 By age eight or nine, they should feel athletically competent—able to run fast, to easily strike a tetherball, to throw a ball overhand a sizeable distance.
b. Archery. Over the hand holding the bow.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > competitive shooting > archery > [adverb] > manner of shooting
underhand1538
overhand1875
1875 Encycl. Brit. II. 378/2 Shooting over-hand is to shoot at the mark over the bow-hand.
1939 P. H. Gordon New Archery 404 Overhand, of shooting, same as..Forehand.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > distance > distance or farness > [adverb] > kept or placed at a distance apart
a-squarec1460
ysowndir1513
aloof1544
loof1558
aloof off?a1560
clear1600
large1670
abeighc1707
overhand1816
aloofly1891
remotely1897
1816 J. Wilson City of Plague ii. iii. 146 The poor Or niggardly, I put them overhand In a somewhat careless way.
ΚΠ
1890 Cent. Dict. (at cited word) Overhand, in mining, from below upward: used in reference to stoping out the contents of the vein.
5. Needlework. to sew overhand: = oversew v. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > sewing or ornamenting textile fabric > sew or ornament textile fabric [verb (transitive)] > sew > oversew
whip1548
whip-stitch1592
overcast1706
overhand1861
oversew1864
overseam1872
to sew overhand1895
overlock1987
1895 I. K. Funk et al. Standard Dict. Eng. Lang. II. 1256/2 Overseam, to sew overhand.
1904 N.E.D. (at cited word) To sew overhand = oversew.
B. adj.
1. Performed by bringing the hand from above downwards; performed with the knuckles upwards.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > bodily movement > [adjective] > done by specific movement of part
overhand1656
front-handed1843
wristy1867
straight-arm1946
1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. T. Boccalini Ragguagli di Parnasso i. xxxvii. 74 Men..of generous hearts, did usually write injuries received from mean men, in sand; but over hand blows given by men of power, in characters never to be blotted out.
1888 R. Kipling Barrack-room Ballads (1892) 122 The overhand stabbing-cut silenced the yell.
1983 Workbasket (Nexis) Jan. 48 Using an overhand st and B, sew through back lps only.
1994 Men's Health Jan. 50 Reach up and take an overhand grip on the bar of a lat-pulldown machine.
2.
a. Chiefly Cricket and Baseball. Of, relating to, or designating overarm bowling or pitching.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > [adjective] > type of throw
overhand1828
overarm1864
under-arm1877
1828 W. Denison in Sporting Mag. Mar. 356/2 It is the over-hand delivery to which I principally object... It has all the qualities of a throw, except the force.
1852 Blaine's Encycl. Rural Sports (new ed.) §454 The overhand bowling would appear likely to admit of dangerous abuse.
1901 A. Lang in Blackwood's Mag. Oct. 490/2 England added the third stump, the straight bat, overhand bowling and other essentials.
1994 D. Halberstam October 1964 xvi. 215 You have several pitches and you have enough talent, but you haven't decided whether you're a side-arm pitcher or an overhand pitcher.
b. Swimming. = overarm adj. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > progressive motion > moving with current of air or water > movement in or on water > [adjective] > swimming > specific stroke
underhand1705
hand over hand1849
overhand1876
overarm1887
under-arm1905
butterfly1934
1876 Amer. Cycl. XV. 523/2 The overhand stroke is similar, only in reaching forward the arm is brought out of the water.
1886 J. Finney Hints on Swimming 5 Taking into consideration the high rate of speed attainable by its means, the overhand stroke..far exceeds any other style.
1931 J. Buchan Blanket of Dark xiv. 260 Peter's long arms in an overhand stroke devoured the waters.
1993 Washington Post (Nexis) 2 Sept. s11 He taught them only the overhand stroke known as the crawl.
c. Tennis. = overarm adj. 3.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > lawn tennis > [adjective] > types of stroke or ball
unreturnable1740
boasted1878
volleyed1878
overhand1881
back-handed1889
forehand1889
forehanded1889
Lawford1893
overhead1904
undercut1920
kicking1924
overarm1929
two-fisted1960
sliced1971
inside-out1977
inside-in1999
1881 Appletons' Jrnl. Oct. 368/1 He..brought with him a tremendously swift and difficult overhand service.
1911 Encycl. Brit. XVI. 301/2 High overhand service, by which alone any great pace can be obtained, was first perfected by the brothers Renshaw between 1880 and 1890.
1990 Orlando Sentinel Tribune 28 Jan. d11 Blake then hit two winners, an overhand smash and a backhand shot, to take the advantage.
d. Boxing. Of a cross: aimed with the arm high to pass downwards over the opponent's guard; esp. in overhand right.
ΚΠ
1951 Times 13 Sept. 4/7 The American..surprised Turpin with a right hand overhand punch.
1985 Observer 29 Sept. 40/3 One overhand right in the sixth round shook Taylor noticeably.
1993 Chicago Tribune 29 May ii. 8/1 It's like a boxer taking overhand rights.
3. Mining. Of the stoping of a vein: performed from below upwards.
ΚΠ
1854 J. D. Whitney Metallic Wealth U.S. 76 Overhand stoping is almost universally practised in this country.
1883 W. S. Green Gloss. Terms Coal Mining Overhand stoping, a system of working thick seams of coal in Germany.
1920 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. II. 2051/2 In overhand stoping..the ore is in the roof of the stope.
1995 Mining Mag. (Nexis) Sept. 116 The methods described there included both underhand and overhand open stopes with timber supports.
Compounds
overhand knot n. a simple knot made by passing the end of a rope, string, etc., over the standing part and through the loop or bight so formed.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fastening > binding or tying > a bond, tie, or fastening > [noun] > knot > overhand knot
thumb-knot1795
overhand knot1831
overhanded knot1852
1831 T. O'Scanlan Diccionario Marítimo Español (at cited word) Knot (Over hand).
1900 Amer. Naturalist 34 433 The beckets in the Australian Museum..are of plaited cord, with an ‘eye’ at one end and an ‘overhand’ knot, or a ‘grummet head’, at the other.
1986 Today's Guide Apr. 16/1 Make a small loop at one end with a double overhand knot.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.c1175
v.1861
adv.adj.1579