hat in hand en · ADV
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
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(idiomatic, not-comparable) With humility; in an apologetic or self-effacing fashion.
"D'you think the proud English corporations are going to let you inside? Not them. The most you'll get will be the scraps that fall from their table, my poor Lazarus, and for these you'll have to go hat in hand to Dives."
1915, John Buchan, chapter 5, in Salute to Adventurers:Turkish leaders are accustomed to visiting Europe with hat in hand, seeking to make compromises.
2015 October 5, James Kanter, Tim Arango, “Turkish Leader Says E.U. Should Do More About Syria”, in New York Times, retrieved 07 Oct 2015:But the Americans should also not expect Mr Xi to be arriving hat in hand and eager to please.Many believe mutual suspicion will endure and the two leaders will not likely remove existing trade and economic roadblocks put up in the name of national security.
2023 November 15, Tessa Wong, “Xi Jinping arrives in US as his Chinese Dream sputters”, in BBC:Hat in hand, the sailors stood deferentially in a semicircle before him.
1849, Herman Melville, chapter 61, in Redburn: His First Voyage:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| with hat in hand | alternative | lexicographic | |
| cap in hand | alternative | lexicographic |
Translations (3)
pt todo humilde (with humility) · fi lakki kourassa (with humility) · pl na kolanach (with humility)