Definition

1. Noun:
   • The hand that is on the left side of the body: The limb of the human body, specifically the one positioned on the left side, used for grasping and manipulating objects.
   • The side or direction corresponding to this hand: By extension, can refer to the left side or area relative to a person or object.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • He writes with his left hand. (He uses the hand on the left side of his body for writing.)
  • The signature should be in the lower left hand corner of the page. (The signature should be placed in the lower area on the left side of the page.)

Advanced Usage

• "left-hand" (Adjective): Used attributively to describe something positioned on, designed for, or relating to the left side.

  • He opened the left-hand drawer. (He opened the drawer situated on the left side.)
  • She bought a left-hand drive car. (She purchased a car with the steering wheel on the left side.)

• "to be someone's left hand": To be a very close and indispensable helper or supporter (figurative, less common).

  • In running the business, she was his left hand. (She was his most crucial assistant in managing the business.)

Variants and Related Words

• Left-handed (adj): Using the left hand more skillfully than the right; designed for use by the left hand.
  • He is a left-handed pitcher. (He throws a baseball with his left hand as his dominant one.)
• Left-hander (n): A left-handed person.
  • The boxer is a formidable left-hander. (The boxer is a formidable person who fights with his left hand as his leading one.)

Synonyms

• Port side (Nautical): The left side of a ship or boat when facing forward.
• Larboard (Archaic, Nautical): An old term for the left side of a ship.

Related Phrases

• Left-hand man (Idiom): A chief assistant or most reliable helper.

  • As the manager's left-hand man, he knew all the operations. (As the manager's primary assistant, he was knowledgeable about all operations.)

• Over the left shoulder (Idiom): An expression of disbelief or dismissal, often said after a dubious statement.

  • "He said he'd pay me back tomorrow." "Yeah, and I'm a millionaire—over the left shoulder!" (This expresses skepticism about the promise of repayment.)

Notes on Meaning

The term "left hand" primarily denotes the physical limb. Its adjectival form, "left-hand," is used to specify position or orientation. Figurative uses, such as "left-hand man," derive from the historical perception of the left side as the side of support (from the perspective of a right-handed person, the left hand would hold a shield, protecting the right side which wielded the weapon).

Noun

1. the hand that is on the left side of the body
   • jab with your left