out of hand

English

Adverb

out of hand (comparative more out of hand, superlative most out of hand)

1. Without (further) thought or consideration.

   Synonym: offhand

   • 1948, University of Michigan Official Publication.‎^[2], UM Libraries, page 175:

     The questions covered ranged from those that could be answered out of hand, through those requiring some thought and at least a second interview, to those which presented matters for further research in theoretical statistics.

   • 1954, Justice of the peace and local government review reports.‎^[3]:

     I still think that advice is sound, because, if justices do decide a case out of hand on the complainant's case, it is argued, as in the present appeal, that they have ruled, as a matter of law, that there was no case to answer.

2. (now rare) Immediately, forthwith, or incontinently.

   Near-synonym: offhand

   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, I.xii:

     He bad to open wyde his brazen gate, / Which long time had bene shut, and out of hond / Proclaymed ioy and peace through all his state [...].

   • 1653, Francois Rabelais (tr. anon), The works of Mr. Francis Rabelais, doctor in physick‎^[4], volume 2, Navarre society, London:

     Now any Man finding in hot Blood, one who with a fore-thought Felony hath murthered his Daughter, may, without tying himself to the Formalities and Circumstances of a Legal Proceeding, kill him on a sudden, and out of hand, without incurring any hazard of being attainted and apprehended by the Officers of Justice for so doing.

Translations

Without (further) thought or consideration

• Russian: без раздумий (bez razdumij)

Adjective

out of hand (comparative more out of hand, superlative most out of hand)

1. Barely under control; not under control.

   Antonym: in hand

   Near-synonyms: chaotic, messy, uncontrolled, uncontrollable

   Clean things as you go so that the mess does not get out of hand.

   • 1892, James Fitzmaurice-Kelly, The life of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra‎^[5], London Chapman & Hall, published 1892:

     Figueiredo's troops got out of hand and disgraced themselves by mutilating the Spanish dead and wounded on the field of battle.

   • 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Presrop:

     Shepard: The Alliance sent me to bring you in, Major. Can't you see this has gotten out of hand? Don't you understand you're endangering your followers?

Related terms

• eat out of someone's hand
• out of one's hands

 

Translations

not under control, out of control

• Dutch: ongecontroleerd (nl), in het wilde weg,
• Estonian: käest ära
• French: hors de contrôle (fr)
• German: außer Kontrolle (verb: geraten), überhand (de) (now only used in überhandnehmen), aus dem Ruder (now only used in aus dem Ruder laufen), ausufern (de) (for: “get out of hand”)
• Italian: fuori controllo
• Portuguese: fora de controle
• Russian: неуправляемый (ru) (neupravljajemyj)
• Spanish: fuera de control, de las manos (preceded by irse (a alguien))
• Swedish: urspårad (sv), urartad (sv)

See also

• one thing led to another