minute-hand

The minute-hand points to the twelve on the clock.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • The longer hand on a clock or watch that indicates the minutes: The "minute-hand" is the component of a timepiece that moves around the dial to show the current minute of the hour. It is typically longer than the hour-hand and completes one full rotation every 60 minutes.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The minute-hand pointed directly at the 12, indicating it was exactly 3 o'clock. (The longer hand showed the minute was zero.)
  • She glanced at her watch and saw the minute-hand had moved past the 6, meaning it was half past the hour. (The hand showed 30 minutes had passed.)
  • When the minute-hand reaches the 3, the class will be over. (The hand indicates 15 minutes past the hour.)

Advanced Usage

• "to watch the minute-hand": to observe the passage of time closely, often with impatience or anticipation.
  • During the boring lecture, he kept watching the minute-hand crawl slowly across the clock face. (He focused on the hand to track time.)
• "minute-hand and hour-hand": a paired reference to both hands of a clock, often used to describe time-reading.
  • Learning to distinguish the minute-hand from the hour-hand is the first step in telling time. (Identifying the longer hand is essential.)

Variants and Related Words

• Minute (n): a unit of time equal to 60 seconds.
  • The meeting lasted for thirty minutes. (A period of time.)
• Hand (n): a pointer on a clock, watch, or gauge.
  • The second-hand moves faster than the minute-hand. (A different type of hand.)
• Minute-hand is a compound word; no common variant forms exist.

Synonyms

• Long hand: a descriptive term for the minute-hand due to its length.
  • The long hand shows the minutes. (Equivalent to minute-hand.)
• Minute pointer: an alternative but less common term.
  • The minute pointer was stuck at the 9. (Synonymous with minute-hand.)

Phrasal Verbs

• (None directly associated with "minute-hand"; the word is a fixed compound noun.)

Related Idioms

• "Minute-hand race": an informal expression for a rapid change in time or a quick event.
  • The deadline felt like a minute-hand race, with every second counting. (Time seemed to move quickly.)
• "Against the minute-hand": struggling to complete something before time runs out.
  • We were working against the minute-hand to finish the project. (Under time pressure.)

Advanced Note

• In analog clocks, the minute-hand moves in discrete increments, typically one minute per tick, and its position is read relative to the 60-minute markings on the dial. Understanding the minute-hand is fundamental to telling time accurately.