Definition

1. Noun:
   • The shorter hand of a clock that points to the hours: The "little hand" is the shorter of the two main hands on an analog clock or watch. It indicates the current hour.

Usage

• The term "little hand" is primarily used in basic time-telling instruction, often when teaching children. It is a descriptive, informal term contrasting with the "big hand" (the minute hand).
• It is used to specify which hand to read for the hour. For example, an instruction might be: "Look at where the little hand is pointing."

Examples

• Noun:
  • To tell the hour, look at the number the little hand is pointing to.
  • The little hand was on the three, so I knew it was three o'clock.
  • When the little hand points to twelve and the big hand points to twelve, it is noon.

Advanced Usage

• While "little hand" is common in everyday speech and education, more formal or technical contexts (e.g., watchmaking) typically use the term "hour hand".
• The phrase can be used metaphorically to emphasize the slow passage of hours or the focus on hourly increments.
  • In the waiting room, I just watched the little hand crawl from one number to the next.

Variants and Related Words

• Hour hand (n): The formal term for the hand that indicates the hour on a clock or watch. This is the standard term in most contexts beyond basic instruction.
  • The hour hand completes two full rotations in a day.

Synonyms

• Hour hand: The direct synonym and more formal equivalent.

Antonyms

• Big hand (n, informal): The longer hand that points to the minutes.
• Minute hand (n): The formal term for the hand that indicates the minutes.

Noun

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