left handn.adj.
/ˌlɛft ˈhand/, U.S. /ˈlɛft ˌhænd/, /ˈlɛftænd/ A. n.
1. The region on the left side of a person or thing; the direction in which this side faces; = left n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > quality of having sides or being a side > [noun] > fact of having distinct sides > one or other side or hand > the left
left handa1200
leftc1225
left side1562
left half1625
a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 37 A domes dai sulle buckes..stonden an ure louerd ihesu cristes lift hond.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 13572 Arður..lette oðere ten þusende an his lift [c1300 Otho laft] honde.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xix. cxxix. 1382 Oon liþ on þe right hond, þe oþer on þe left hond.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6323 On his left hand loked he.
1480 Table Prouffytable Lernynge (Caxton) (1964) 46 A le main senestre. On the lyfte honde.
a1500 tr. Thomas à Kempis De Imitatione Christi (Trin. Dublin) (1893) 110 Þou art impugned on þe riȝt honde & on þe lifte honde.
1530 Bible (Tyndale) xiii. f. xvi Yf thou wylt take the lefte hande I wyll take the right.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 820 On the right and left hand of Dariene are found twenty Rivers, which yeelde Gold.
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. iv. 203 The Figures to the left hand signifie Leagues in this Journal, or Miles.
1756 tr. J. G. Keyssler Trav. I. 204 On the left-hand..is the mountain of Rochemelon.
1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield II. i. 12 My business was..to take the left hand in his chariot when not filled by another.
1829 London Encycl. V. 275/2 The Celtæ took the left hand, spreading westward towards Poland, Hungary, Germany, France, and Spain.
1899 M. H. Kingsley W. Afr. Stud. 469 The King of Obulambri was supposed to look after the district on the left hand of the River Brass.
1908 E. C. Booth Cliff End xvii. 95 On the grained side-cupboard to the left hand of the fireplace were glasses..of all sorts and shapes.
1929 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 18 May 27/1 The Left-hand Scout of each patrol..runs..straight towards the left hand of the opposing patrol.
2011 S. Greenblatt Swerve ii. 44 He had the privilege of sitting at the left hand of the emperor himself.
2. The hand on the left side of the body, which in the majority of people is weaker and characterized by poorer coordination than the right; (hence) the hand less favoured in many cultures, and (esp. formerly) associated with various negative characteristics (cf. left-handed adj. 2 and note at left adj.1 1b).
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > extremities > hand > [noun] > left hand
winstereOE
left handc1275
bridle hand?1561
bow-hand1598
buckler-hand1676
rein hand1738
sinister1770
southpaw1813
ciotóg1832
shield-hand1891
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 13998 Ich igrap mi sweord..mid mire leoft honde [c1300 Otho luft honde].
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 229 A man..halt his bridel in his lift hand.
?a1425 (a1400) Brut (Corpus Cambr.) 311 Karroll leyd..his left hand on þe missale.
c1429 Mirour Mans Saluacioune (1986) l. 3869 Vndere myne heved softly mot he lay his left hande.
1581 R. Mulcaster Positions xxxviii. 169 To vse the left hand, as well as the right.
1610 A. Browne tr. St. Bonaventure Life Father S. Francis xvi. 178 In the palme of his left hand..he felt himselfe to be grievously wonded.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Marriage In Germany they have a kind of Marriage called Marganatic, wherein, a Man of Quality contracting with a Woman of inferior Rank, he gives her the left Hand in lieu of the right.
1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 96. 140 In her left hand she bore the shield of Impudence, and the quiver of Sophistry rattled on her shoulder.
1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits iv. 71 The French say, that the Englishwomen have two left hands.
1879 R. Browning Halbert & Hob 42 Right-hand with left-hand linked,—He faced his son submissive.
1920 E. F. Smith & F. Hedges tr. E. Duclaux Pasteur i. vi. 25 One cannot put the right glove on the left hand, nor inversely.
1969 Monroe (Louisiana) News-Star 16 Jan. 1/2 The picture..showed McRaney and Odom with their left hands raised.
2009 U. McGovern & P. Jenner Lost Lore 111 The wedding ring has been worn on the fourth finger of the left hand ever since the ancient Graeco-Roman belief that a nerve went directly from that finger to the heart.
B. adj. (attributive). Usually hyphenated.
1. † a. Ill-omened, sinister; underhand; inferior. Cf. left-handed adj. 2. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > [adjective] > ill-omened or predicting adversity
left handc1429
left-handed1596
c1429 Mirour Mans Saluacioune (1986) l. 2787 Like to the lefthande thefe [L. sinistro latrone].
1540 J. Palsgrave tr. G. Gnapheus Comedye of Acolastus iv. vii. sig. Xiiv A lefte hande lucke [L. omen sinistrum] .i. this is yll lucke.
1586 W. Webbe tr. Virgil Aeglogue i, in Disc. Eng. Poetrie sig. H.ijv Oft did a left hand crow [L. sinistra..cornix] foretell these thinges in her hull tree.
1635 F. Quarles Emblemes iv. iv. 197 If left-hand Fortune give thee left-hand chances, Be wisely patient.
1649 R. Baxter Saints Everlasting Rest (new ed.) iii. vi. 375 The rest of the world are passed by, and put off with common, and temporal, and left-hand-Mercies.
1683 T. Tryon Way to Health xix. 633 Man..has degenerated, and withstood the good counsel of Wisdom, and chosen the Left-Hand-way, which leads into all kind of Evil and Superfluity.
a1796 W. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 78 His saul has ta'en some other way, I fear, the left-hand road.
1871 R. Ellis tr. Catullus Poems xii. 2 Left-hand practices o'er the merry wine-cup.
b. In tantrism, occultism, etc.: designating spiritual beliefs and practices which run counter to established social conventions and ethical codes, and often associated with black magic. Esp. in left-hand path.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > [adjective] > of or relating to black magic
goetical1569
goetic1610
left hand1832
1832 Asiatic Researches 17 221 The Vámís mean the left hand worshippers, or those who adopt a ritual contrary to that which is usual.
1892 H. H. Risley Tribes & Castes Bengal II. 217/2 Vámácháris..‘followers of the left-hand path’.
1900 Theosophical Forum May 98 The Left Hand Path, Black Magic, is for the self and builds and rules the transient world.
1980 L'Homme 20 151 ‘Left hand’ magic (bad magic) is hardly represented in the poem.
2005 Christian Res. Jrnl. 28 17 The fact that these rituals are almost entirely directed toward one's own self-interest is characteristic of what Satanists call the ‘left-hand path’.
2. Using the left hand by preference; = left-handed adj. 1a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > [adjective] > favouring one side
right-handeda1398
left-handeda1425
left hand1440
left-legged1606
sinister1818
katy-handed1822
left-footed1832
right-sided1850
cack-handed1854
dextral1871
sinistral1871
left-sided1875
lefty1886
southpaw1886
handed1910
molly-dook1941
the world > space > relative position > quality of having sides or being a side > [adjective] > situated at the side > left
winstereOE
lefta1200
car1279
wrong?a1400
left hand1440
sinister1483
sinistral1534
left-hand side1581
nar1607
sinistrous1646
nigh1722
left-handed1757
larboard1781
leftward1791
sinistrine1792
left-sided1801
toward1866
Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 293 Left hande man [?a1475 Winch. Left handyd man], mancinus.
1617 J. Swetnam Schoole Sci. Defence xii. 166 A left-hand man is alwaies vsed vnto a right-handed man.
1850 Notts. Guardian & Midland Advertiser 6 June 3/7 Both again on the defensive: Paddock, though a left hand man, making play with his right; Bendigo parried.
1867 G. H. Selkirk Guide to Cricket Ground v. 93 The same disposition of the field which would prevent a right-hand batsman from making runs will not ensure the same effect against a left-hand batsman.
1911 A. H. Spink National Game 391/2 There is a vast difference in pitching to right and left handed batsmen... I work a left hand man with close curves about waist high.
1991 Stained Glass Spring 6 The tool can be used by either right or left hand crafters.
2014 Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch (Nexis) 3 Oct. In 79 games in 2011..the left-hand hitter had a .241 batting average.
3. That is on or towards the left. Frequently in left-hand side.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > quality of having sides or being a side > [adjective] > situated at the side > left
winstereOE
lefta1200
car1279
wrong?a1400
left hand1440
sinister1483
sinistral1534
left-hand side1581
nar1607
sinistrous1646
nigh1722
left-handed1757
larboard1781
leftward1791
sinistrine1792
left-sided1801
toward1866
the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adjective] > having sideways direction > directed towards the left
left hand1581
leftward1886
1581 A. Hall tr. 10 Bks. Iliades ii. sig. Fv Their left-hand side they keep.
1626 G. Markham Souldiers Gram. ii. 17 Now the Left hand Man must stand firme, and the Right hand Man must remoue.
1664 Floddan Field v. 46 Then next the Left-hand wing did wield Sir Marmaduke Constable old.
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. iv. 202 Put down the Title of the Voyage, over the left-hand Page.
1772 J. H. Moore Pract. Navigator 13 On the Left-Hand Column under the Letter (M) find the Minutes.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xvi. 117 For a long time we kept at the left-hand side of the glacier.
1872 C. J. Lever Ld. Kilgobbin lxvii. 399 Regrets that beset us for not having taken the left-hand road in life instead of the right.
1919 Boston Post 20 Nov. 4 Drivers intending to turn into a left-hand street should be on the left side of the line.
1976 Illustr. London News 27 Mar. 70/1 To go left, you pull the left hand lever.
2002 Cheshire Life Aug. 183 Go left along this for 150 yards to a left-hand bend in the track.
4. Of a marriage: = morganatic adj. 2. Also: designating either of the parties married in this way, or the offspring of such a marriage. Cf. left-handed adj. 2f. See also to marry (a person) with the left hand at Phrases 3b.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > a marriage > [adjective] > marriage to social inferior
left-handed1653
left hand1687
morganatic1728
morganic1854
morganatical1855
hypogamous1946
1687 J. Dryden Hind & Panther i. 20 Then, by a left-hand marr'age [he] weds the Dame.
1709 D. Manley Secret Mem. (ed. 2) II. 51 He had a Left-hand Wife, that took up the real Tenderness of his Heart.
1818 J. W. Croker in L. J. Jennings Croker Papers (1884) I. iv. 123 The lady..affected..scruples, which the left-hand marriage..silenced.
1894 F. M. Elliot Rom. Gossip iv. 127 The beautiful villa..where lived his left-hand queen.
1993 T. C. Johnston Blood Song viii. 76 The beautiful Monaseetah had..been the left-hand wife of the one the white men called George Armstrong Custer.
1997 J. Bray Gallienus ix. 122/2 Negotiations may have begun before then but I do not think a quasi-official left-hand marriage could have formed part of them.
2006 M. Hyde Making up Rococo iii. 123 That Pompadour saw fit to acquire this painting bespeaks..an ironic sense of humour about her own role as left-hand queen ruling from the toilette table.
5. Of a tool, instrument, etc.: designed to be used with the left hand or by a left-handed person; = left-handed adj. 1b.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > tool > types of tools generally > [adjective] > worked by hand > right or left, one or two
two-handy1648
left-handeda1657
two-handed1657
uphand1678
left hand1776
single-handed1834
right-handed1891
lefty1954
1776 C. Burney Gen. Hist. Music I. 509 The longest of the two instruments was for the left hand..; for he [sc. Pliny] says the part next the ground being the widest, serves for the left-hand Flutes.
1889 Babyhood Dec. 11/1 A left-hand scissors must have the blades crossed the other way.
1903 Holbrook, Merrill, & Stetson Catal. No. 114 880 When held in the right hand the lower blade is on the right side of the Shears in right hand Shears, and on the left hand in left hand Shears.
1939 Charleston (W. Va.) Daily Mail 31 Jan. 4/2 The emergence of a left-hand can opener..attracted national attention a few days ago.
1996 Manawatu (N.Z.) Standard (Nexis) 1 Nov. 17 Left-hand secateurs for the left-handed gardener having trouble getting hold of tools to suit them.
2012 Irish Daily Mail (Nexis) 5 Dec. 13 Furniture and fittings have already have been changed to favour lefties, as well as left-hand scissors, instruments, toilet flushes and computer mice.
6. Performed with the left hand. Cf. left-handed adj. 1c.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > [adjective] > with the hand > with right or left hand
left-handed?1790
left hand1791
right-handed1807
1791 Public Advertiser 12 May The Earl had confessedly the advantage, from the dexterous manner of throwing in the Tinman's left-hand blow.
1845 Spirit of Times 9 Aug. 279/2 He made a short left-hand catch off Ticknor's bat, that saved a dozen runs at least.
1901 Gallovidian 3 114 Murdered..by a left-hand straik frae a man wi' neibourless een.
1920 A. Geer Shadow Boxing 25 When..your opponent is very quick, especially with the left-hand jab, crouch to the right.
1978 Gramophone July 232/2 The A minor episode in the course of the central Allegretto, its melody sung over left-hand staccato chords.
2014 Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser (Nexis) 2 July 67 The enormity of this defeat will hurt Ricky Burns more than the crushing left-hand blows he received from Dejan Zlaticanin on Friday night.
Phrases
P1. the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing and variants: originally with allusion to Matthew 6:3, referring to acts of charity performed in a discreet or secret manner. Later also used to express unawareness or (deliberate) ignorance of one's actions or activities, frequently implying lack of coordination. [Alluding to Matthew 6:3 (compare quots. c1384, 1526); compare post-classical Latin nesciat sinistra tua quid faciat dextera tua (Vulgate), Hellenistic Greek μὴ γνώτω ἡ ἀριστερά σου τί ποιεῖ ἡ δεξιά σου (New Testament).]
ΚΠ
OE West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) vi. 3 Soþlice þonne þu þine ælmessan do, nyte þin wynstre hwæt do þin swyþre.]
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 196 Huanne þou dest elmesse ne wyte naȝt þi left hand huet deþ þi riȝt hand.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Matt. [vi.] 3 But thee doynge almesse, knowe nat the left hond what thi riȝt hond doth, that thi almes be in hidlis.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 28968 Þat þi lefthand wijt noght for roos, þe almus þat þi right hand doos.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. vi. f. vij But when thou doest thine almes, let not thy lyfte hond knowe, what thy righte hand doth, that thyne almes may be secret.
1630 J. Taylor Wks. 341/2 Yet was his bounty from the world so hid; His right hand knew not what his left hand did.
1683 O. Heywood Narr. Holy Life John Angier (new ed.) 55 He was exceeding liberal to the Poor..: his left hand knew not what his right hand did.
1708 F. Atterbury 14 Serm. 196 She was wonderfully Secret; endeavouring to come up, as near as she could, to the Rule of not letting her right hand know what her left hand did.
1779 Hist. Ascanius ix, in R. Griffiths Ascanius (rev. ed.) 173 The inhabitants were all stricken with amazement, insomuch that no man's right hand knew what his left did.
1829 A. Herbert Nimrod IV. i. i. 106 The works of secrecy are not more absurd and terrible than they are complicated; the left hand does not know what the right is executing.
1856 Hunt's Merchants' Mag. Jan. 47 He kept no note of his charities—his right hand did not know what his left hand had done.
1936 Philos. & Phenomenol. Res. 7 272 Human beings are capable of stowing away their mental goods into different trunks;..the philosopher's academic right hand does not know what his work-a-day left hand is doing.
1960 Washington Post 30 Sept. d10/3 The Americans would make us a laughingstock if they found out that in our government the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.
2006 C. Stross Clan Corporate xiv. 281 There's been a board of enquiry... Left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing, excessive compartmentalization in our security architecture, et cetera.
P2. †to give the left hand of friendship: to treat in a hostile manner. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > hatred > hostility > be hostile [verb] > treat in unfriendly way
to give the left hand of friendshipc1585
c1585 R. Browne Answere to Cartwright 1 Some being enemies will giue it their left hande of friendshippe.
P3.
a. † wife of the left hand n. Obsolete a wife in a morganatic marriage. Cf. left-handed adj. 2f.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > a marriage > [noun] > of persons of unequal rank > with social inferior > female partner
wife of the left hand1690
1690 J. Dryden Amphitryon v. 55 In the mean time, be all my Witnesses, that I take Phædra for my Wife of the left hand; that is, in the nature of a lawfull Concubine.
1788 C. Reeve Exiles II. 196 She is only my wife of the left hand.
1867 C. Coleman tr. L. Mühlbach Goethe & Schiller iv. viii. 448 The beautiful Julie von Voss..had never forgiven herself for..consenting to become the king's wife of the left hand [Ger. Gemahlin linker Hand].
b. to marry (a person) with the left hand and variants: to contract a morganatic marriage with (a person). Now historical.See note at left-handed adj. 2f.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > a marriage > [verb (intransitive)] > marry with social inferior
to marry (a person) with the left hand1700
to marry above (also below, beneath) oneself (occasionally also one's match)1721
to marry down1919
1700 tr. G. de Courtilz de Sandras French Spy ii. 60 The Duke perform'd his promise to Mrs..whom he Married on the left Hand [Fr. Il l'épousa de la main gauche], as it is usually done among Princes, and other Persons of an Eminent Rank, when they Marry below their Quality.
1720 D. Manley Secret Mem. (ed. 6) IV. 222 Not all her Father's Eloquence nor Threats ca[n] make her grant any Favour to Beraldus, not even to marry him with the Left Hand.
1818 J. W. Croker in L. J. Jennings Croker Papers (1884) I. iv. 122 The Prince certainly married Mrs. Fitzherbert with the left hand.
1867 Daily Evening Bull. (San Francisco) 16 Oct. 3/5 The only modern case, with which we are familiar, of a morganatic marriage, in which the bride was the person of superior rank, is that of the Princess Elizabeth of Italy, sister-in-law of Victor Emanuel, who was married with the left hand in 1856..to the Marquis Rapallo.
1908 Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Evening Gaz. 2 Dec. 8/3 A little cottage..belonged to a family of Benton, a late member of which is said to have married Joseph's daughter, by the left hand.
2002 X. L. Woo Empress Dowager Cixi xxxv. 166 His Mayor father would never assent to his marrying with the left hand.
c. † daughter by the left hand n. Obsolete rare. a daughter born out of wedlock.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > daughter > [noun] > illegitimate daughter
daughter by the left hand1883
1883 R. Gower My Reminisc. II. xxx. 337 One of the Grand Monarque's daughters by the left hand married a Duc de Chevreuse.
Compounds
left-hand drive n. and adj. (a) n. a steering system of the type found in motor vehicles designed to be driven on the right-hand side of the road, in which the steering wheel and other controls are fitted on the left side; (also) a vehicle having such a steering system; (b) adj. (of a motor vehicle) fitted with such a steering system; cf. right-hand drive n. at right hand n. and adj. Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > [noun] > driving or operating a motor vehicle > in specific manner
overspeeding1888
left-hand drive1908
speeding1908
night-driving1909
hell-driving1936
drunk driving1937
slipstreaming1957
drink-driving1964
stunt-driving1975
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > steering, suspension, or wheels > types of steering system
left-hand drive1908
right-hand drive1912
self-centring1931
power steering1932
1908 N.Y. Times 8 Nov. (Sporting News section) 4/2 Aside from the magneto the car has an added feature in the left hand drive.
1920 Cork Examiner 12 July 2/8 (headline) Left hand drive motor vehicles.
1942 O. D. Gallagher Action in East xiii. 260 Most of the vehicles, being American, had a left-hand drive.
1975 Guardian 20 Jan. 7/3 All this year's production will be left-hand drive.
2002 L. Sarno et al. Econ. Exchange Rates v. 152 Left-hand-drive cars are not popular in the United Kingdom, Australia or Japan.
left-hand driving n. †(a) the action or practice of driving a left-hand drive vehicle (obsolete); (b) the action, practice, or system of driving on the left-hand side of the road (usually using a right-hand drive system or vehicle); cf. right-hand driving n. at right hand n. and adj. Compounds.
ΚΠ
1901 Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) 10 Feb. 3/4 All our electric machines have left hand seats, and my personal opinion is that the left hand driving should be enforced in towns.
1920 Western Gaz. 25 June 12/7 The exposure of the dangers resulting from left-hand driving, which means that the driver is neither able to signal to following vehicles nor to see round the off-side of vehicles immediately ahead.
1924 Canton (Ohio) Daily News 9 Mar. i. 17/1 We have laughed at the English for their left hand driving.
1956 Collier's Year-bk. 670/1 Sweden is the only Scandinavian country with left-hand driving.
1992 M. G. Lay Ways of World vi. 200 Although a government commission recommended left-hand driving for France in 1909, its advice was ignored.
2003 Brownsville (Texas) Herald 25 Oct. c8/4 The entire module slides through a slot in the dash for quick adaptation to right- or left-hand driving.
left-hand lock n. a lock that turns the bolt to the left; cf. right-hand lock n. at right hand n. and adj. Compounds.
ΚΠ
1837 London Jrnl. Arts & Sci. 9 45 The other pin..is not to be riveted..in order to admit of the bolt being shifted to suit a right or left hand lock, as occasion may require.
1933 Standards & Specif. for Metals & Metal Products (U.S. Dept. Commerce) 979/3 If, standing outside of a door, the butts are on the right, it takes a right-hand lock; if on the left, it takes a left-hand lock.
2013 Locksmith Ledger (Nexis) Feb. Generally, the left-hand locks are only used on the last row of boxes in a nest so that the door will swing away from the wall if the nest is mounted in the corner of the vault.
left-hand man n. rare a person (esp. a man) who serves as an assistant or helper to another; cf. right-hand man n. at right hand n. and adj. Compounds.In quots. 1976, 1998 perhaps a punning alteration of right-hand man after left adj.1 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > [noun] > that which or one who helps or means of help > a helper > indispensable
arma1382
right hand1538
right arm1562
left-hand man1711
right-hand man1739
1711 S. Sewall Diary 9 Feb. (1973) II. 653 His place at the Council Board..will hardly be filled up. I have lost a good Left-hand man.
1976 Fortnight 130 19/2 His [sc. James Callaghan] left hand man, Michael Foot, is of course one of the MacFutes of Comber.
1998 J. R. Pusey Lu Xun & Evol. ix. 140 Chen Boda,..the Chairman's left-hand man.
left-hand rope n. rope made by twisting the strands in an anticlockwise direction; cf. right-hand rope n. at right hand n. and adj. Compounds and left-handed rope n. at left-handed adj. Compounds.
ΚΠ
1845 S. F. Every Art of Netting vi. 50 The cork and lead lines of Sienes are double, that is to say two lines put together, which when they were made were twisted different ways, left hand rope and right hand rope.
1859 Hunt's Yachting Mag. Nov. 484 Cable laid rope, or left hand rope,..that is laid from left to right, or against the sun.
1941 T. A. H. Peacocke Mountaineering ii. 22 Another way of distinguishing the right-hand or left-hand rope is to view it from the end. The right-hand rope has a clockwise twist and the left hand anti-clockwise.
2006 Cranes Today May 41 Right hand drums should operate with a left hand rope.
left-hand rule n. Physics a rule for finding the direction of motion of a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field: the directions of the magnetic field, the current, and the force exerted on the conductor are indicated respectively by the first finger, second finger, and thumb of the left hand when these are held out perpendicular to each other; more fully Fleming's left-hand rule; cf. right-hand rule n. at right hand n. and adj. Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > transmission of electricity, conduction > [noun] > conductor > mnemonic concerning
left-hand rule1892
1885 J. A. Fleming in Electrician 21 Mar. 397/2 Now, let it be observed that in finding the direction of the current induced we use the right hand, but if we use the left hand instead, it provides a rule for determining the direction of motion of a conductor under the influence of a field when traversed by a current.]
1892 Electr. Rev. 15 Jan. 66/1 Left-hand rule for finding the direction of the current induced in a conductor which is moved across a magnetic field.
1934 I. M. Freeman tr. G. Joos Theoret. Physics xv. 296 The current in the segment, the magnetic field, and the ponderomotive force must form a right-handed orthogonal system in this order (Fleming's left-hand rule).
1947 Sci. News 4 117 If cosmic rays are influenced by a magnetic field, they must have a charge. Is it positive or negative? We apply the well-known Left Hand rule.
2012 Nature Chem. 4 252/2 Electrons in these solids then move in a circle, driven by the Lorenz force (recall Fleming's left-hand rule).
left-hand screw n. a screw threaded so that it advances when turned anticlockwise; cf. right-hand screw n. at right hand n. and adj. Compounds.
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1795 Repertory of Arts 2 93 The screw E..has one end cut with a right hand, and the other with a left hand, screw.
1810 Belfast Monthly Mag. May 378/2 The two elevating screws at one side of the endless screw, are right hand screws, and those at the other side, are left hand screws.
1957 W. H. Armstrong Machine Tools for Metal Cutting xv. 277 A left-hand screw is one that will move into a nut when it is turned counterclockwise or to the left.
2001 S. Vogel Prime Mover (2003) vii. 138 Left-hand screws may be uncommon, but they aren't mere novelties like counterclockwise clocks.
left-hand tongue n. rare a language written from right to left, such as Hebrew or Arabic.
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a1632 J. Whitelocke Liber Famelicus (1858) 13 An obscure..man..but expert in all the lefthand tongs, as hebrew [etc.].
1999 G. Lloyd Jones in W. Horbury Hebrew Study from Ezra to Ben-Yehuda v. xv. 235 Some of the arguments..must have provided the encouragement necessary for tackling the ‘left hand tongues’.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.adj.a1200