Dictionary

wash one's hands en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˌwɒʃ wʌnz ˈhæn(d)z/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Australia) audio
• /ˌwɒʃ wʌnz ˈhæn(d)z‿əv/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˌwɔʃ wʌnz ˈhæn(d)z‿əv/ (General-American)
• (Australia) audio
• /ˌwɔʃ wʌnz ˈhæn(d)z/ (General-American)

Etymology

The figurative sense comes from the account in Matthew 27:24 of the Bible in which Pontius Pilate, unwilling to condemn Jesus who has committed no crime but whose crucifixion the crowd has called for, symbolically washes his hands in public and says (according to the King James Version; spelling modernized): “I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.” Another literal and figurative usage of the expression can be traced to Deuteronomy 21:6 where the elders of Israel are commanded to "wash their hands" as part of a ceremonial absolution ritual initiated upon the discovery of a corpse outside the jurisdiction of any city.

Meanings

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see wash, one's, hands.
   • If you're healthy and you know it, wash your hands! If you're healthy and you know it, wash your hands! 2020, traditional, “If You're Healthy and You Know It”:
   • Be sure to wash your hands before preparing food.
2. (euphemistic) To go to the toilet.
3. (figuratively) To absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for; to refuse to have any further involvement with.
   • 'Then I vvaſh my Hands of you,' cries the Doctor, 'and I deſire you to pay me for the Trouble I have had already.[…].' 1749, Henry Fielding, “In which the Surgeon Makes His Second Appearance”, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume III, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book VIII, page 165:
   • [A]fter Congress had refused to appropriate money to continue them, President [Franklin Delano] Roosevelt washed his hands of the two ventures. 1936 June 8, “National Affairs: Ditch Up, Dam Down”, in Henry R[obinson] Luce, editor, Time, New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 01 Jan 2012:
   • By contrast, today's government ministers appear to have washed their hands of Euston, perhaps thinking that its development can be entirely left to the private sector. I think that's a mistake. 2024 March 20, Philip Haigh, “Euston is the key to unlocking HS2's true potential”, in RAIL, number 1005, page 49:
   • It was no affair of his; he had long ago washed his hands of the whole matter, and left things to take their chance. 1884, H[enry] Rider Haggard, chapter VII, in Dawn […], volume III, London: Hurst and Blackett, […], →OCLC, page 70:
   • Janet Dench, the executive director of the Canadian Council for refugees, said that both countries are "washing their hands" of the problem. 2003 March 13, “Immigration: Vermont refugee aid group says policy thins resources”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 11 Mar 2016:
   • Although Norine had pretended to wash her hands of all responsibility for Branch's little charge, she was by no means so inhuman as she appeared. 1916 September, Rex Beach, “El Demonio’s Child”, in Rainbow’s End […], New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers, →OCLC, page 245:
   • Sharp[er]. […] Mony is but Dirt, Sir Joſeph—Mere Dirt. / Sir Jo[seph Wittoll]. But I profeſs, it is a Dirt I have vvaſhed my Hands of at preſent; I have laid it all out upon my Back. 1693, Will[iam] Congreve, The Old Batchelour, a Comedy. […], London: […] Peter Buck, […], →OCLC, Act II, scene i, page 11:
   • He had entirely washed his hands of the difficulty, and it had become ours. 1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, “Quite at Home”, in Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC, page 53:
   • so this is it? I sold my soul for this? Washed my hands of that for this? I miss my mom and dad for this? 2012, Jeff Bhasker, Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost, Jack Antonoff, “Some Nights”, in Some Nights), performed by fun.:

Forms

Relateds

get one's hands dirty

Synonyms

wash one's hands of · disown · deny · disown · renounce · abjure · disavow · repudiate · disclaim · disclaim · forswear · forsay

Translations (29)

ko 손떼다 (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · ko 손씻다 (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · it lavarsene le mani (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · ca rentar-se'n les mans (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · pt lavar as mãos (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · pt redimir-se de (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · es lavarse las manos (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · is þvo hendur sínar af (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · tl maghugas-kamay (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · is láta sigla sinn sjó (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · sv två sina händer (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · ru умыть руки (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · te చేతులు కడుగుకొను (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · de die Hände in Unschuld waschen (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · ms cuci tangan (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · fr se laver les mains de (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · id cuci tangan (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · mk ми́е ра́це од (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · ru умывать руки (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · cmn 金盆洗手 (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · el νίπτω τας χείρας μου (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · es desentenderse (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · hu mossa kezeit (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · nl de handen in onschuld wassen (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · pl umywać ręce (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · ca rentar-se'n les mans com Pilat (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · ja 手を引く (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · ar غَسَلَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for) · fi pestä kätensä (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for)

wikipedia: Pontius Pilate · wikipedia: Jesus