dead hand

Thân thiện

The dead hand of tradition stifles innovation in the old workshop.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • The oppressive influence of past events or decisions: A metaphorical term describing a situation where outdated rules, traditions, or decisions from the past continue to control or restrict the present, preventing progress or change.
   • Real property held inalienably (as by an ecclesiastical corporation): A legal term, also known as "mortmain," referring to property that is held permanently and cannot be sold or transferred, often by an institution like a church or charity.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Oppressive Influence):
  • The company's outdated policies are a dead hand on innovation, stifling new ideas.
  • The dead hand of tradition makes it difficult to modernize the institution.
• Noun (Legal Property):
  • The ancient lands were held in dead hand by the monastery for centuries.
  • Laws were passed to limit the amount of property that could be held in dead hand.

Advanced Usage

• "The dead hand of the past": A common phrase emphasizing how past conditions control the present.
  • The country is struggling to escape the dead hand of the past and embrace a new economic model.
• "Dead-hand control": Describes control exerted from beyond the grave, often through a will or trust.
  • The founder's dead-hand control over the company's philosophy is still enforced by the board.

Variants and Related Words

• Mortmain (n): The direct legal synonym for "dead hand" in the context of inalienable property ownership.
  • The statute of mortmain restricted land ownership by the Church.
• Dead-hand provision (n): A clause in a legal document, like a trust, that controls assets long after the creator's death.
  • The trust's dead-hand provision dictates how the funds must be used for the next 100 years.

Synonyms

• Stifling influence: A force that suppresses or suffocates.
• Stranglehold: Complete control that restricts progress.
• Inertia: Resistance to change.

Related Phrases

• To have a dead hand on something: To exert a restrictive, outdated influence over something.
  • The old management still has a dead hand on the department's budget.

Học thuật

Noun

1. the oppressive influence of past events or decisions
2. real property held inalienably (as by an ecclesiastical corporation)

Từ đồng nghĩa

• dead hand of the past
• mortmain