fist
/fɪst
/noun
A person’s hand when the fingers are bent in towards the palm and held there tightly, typically in order to strike a blow or grasp something: she pummelled him furiously with her fists Karr clenched his fists...
- He clenched his fists tightly, nails digging into his palms.
- He clenched his fists so tightly that he broke the skin on his palms.
- He clenched his fists tightly and shook his head slowly from side to side.
Synonyms
clenched hand
informal duke, meat hook, paw, mitt
British informal bunch of fives
Scottish & Northern English nieve
verb
1 [with object and adverbial of direction] Strike with the fist: he fisted a goal-bound shot over the bar...
- When a breaking ball fell to the full forward his rasping shot came off the crossbar but he was alert to fist the rebound to the net.
- When we arrived, the shooters were usually standing around fisting beer cans and comparing their overall performances that season.
- McConville's kick fell short, but Barry O'Hagan managed to help it on its way, fisting it over the bar.
2 [with object] Clench (the hand or fingers) into a fist: she fisted her hands on her hips...
- Christopher clenched his jaw and fisted his hands.
- She clenched her jaw, fisted her hands, and walked confidently, almost defiantly, to the bottom step.
- Christopher momentarily clenched his jaw, fisting his hands before stepping again toward the main hall.
3 (also fist-fuck) [with object] vulgar slang Penetrate (a person’s anus or vagina) with one’s fist.
Phrases
make a —— fist of
shake one's fist
Derivatives
fisted
[in combination]: a bare-fisted combat
Origin
Old English fȳst, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch vuist and German Faust.