left hand
- 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.
- 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.)
"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.)
- 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.)
- 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.
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.)
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).
- the hand that is on the left side of the body
- jab with your left