Definition

1. Noun:
   • The shorter hand on a clock or watch: The "hour hand" is the shorter of the two main hands on an analog timepiece. It indicates the current hour by pointing to numbers on the clock face.

Usage

• The "hour hand" moves continuously but slowly, completing one full rotation every 12 hours.
• To tell the time, you first look at where the "hour hand" is pointing. The exact hour is the number it has passed or is approaching.

Examples

• Noun:
  • When the hour hand points to the 3 and the minute hand points to the 12, it is 3 o'clock.
  • The hour hand on the old grandfather clock was made of brass.

Advanced Usage

• "The hour hand crept toward midnight": This phrase uses the "hour hand" to describe the slow, inevitable passage of time, often creating suspense or anticipation.
• In technical contexts (e.g., watchmaking), the "hour hand" may be discussed in terms of its design, luminosity, or attachment to the movement.

Variants and Related Words

• Minute hand (n): The longer hand on a clock that indicates the minutes.
• Second hand (n): The hand, often the thinnest, that indicates the seconds.
• Clock hand / Watch hand (n): The general term for any pointer on the face of a timepiece.

Synonyms

• Little hand: A common informal synonym, especially when teaching children to tell time (e.g., "The little hand is on the 7").
• Short hand: A descriptive, non-technical term.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• The hour hand doesn't lie: Emphasizes that time is objective and factual.
  • We may feel rushed, but the hour hand doesn't lie; we still have an hour before the meeting.
• To watch the hour hand move: To be bored or waiting impatiently, acutely aware of time passing slowly.
  • I spent the afternoon watching the hour hand move in the waiting room.

Noun

1. the shorter hand of a clock that points to the hours