hands down en · ADV · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
The origin of this colloquialism seems to have its roots in mid-19th century horseracing. When a horse jockey is nearing the finish line far ahead of the competition, "with victory certain", he could drop his hands, relaxing his hold on the reins, and "still win the race". By the late 19th century the phrase was being used in non-racing contexts to mean 'with no trouble at all.'
Meanings
- (idiomatic) Without much effort; easily.
- (idiomatic) By a large margin (in a game or contest).
-
(idiomatic) Without question; undoubtedly.
That is a rather difficult task, hands down.
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see hands, down.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most hands down | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more hands down | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| hands-down | alternative | lexicographic |
Translations (37)
nl moeiteloos (without much effort, easily) · tr tereyağından kıl çeker gibi (without much effort, easily) · pt com uma mão nas costas (without much effort, easily) · tr kolaylıkla (without much effort, easily) · ro cu ușurință (without much effort, easily) · de spielend (without much effort, easily) · el αβρόχοις ποσίν (without much effort, easily) · nl met gemak (without much effort, easily) · tr kolayca (without much effort, easily) · fr haut la main (without much effort, easily) · pt com uma perna às costas (without much effort, easily) · de keine Frage (without question) · de mit großem Vorsprung (by a large margin) · ar بِسُهُولَة (without much effort, easily) · de ganz ohne Zweifel (without question) · fr les doigts dans le nez (without much effort, easily) · de mit Abstand (by a large margin) · pl bez dwóch zdań (without question) · es sin lugar a duda (without question) · es fácilmente (without much effort, easily) · fi helposti (without much effort, easily) · pl bez wysiłku (without much effort, easily) · tr kuşkusuz (without question) · de leichthin (without much effort, easily) · de locker (without much effort, easily) · tr şüphesiz (without question) · es definitivamente (without question) · nl met losse handen (without much effort, easily) · de mühelos (without much effort, easily) · it senza dubbio (without question) · de ohne Frage (without question) · it ad occhi chiusi (without much effort, easily) · de zweifellos (without question) · ro fără efort (without much effort, easily) · de mit Leichtigkeit (without much effort, easily) · pl z kretesem (by a large margin) · de mit Links (without much effort, easily)