IDIOM          ENGLISH MEANING      TURKISH MEANING       SAMPLE SENTENCE WITH THE IDIOM

 

know sth like the back of your hand : to know a place very well ----avucunun içi gibi bilmek----Nihan knows Ankara like the back of her hand because she is from there.

could do sth with one hand tied behind their back : if sb could do sth with one hand tied behind their back they can do it very easily----gözü kapalı yapmak----I could do baking cookies with one hand tied behind my back.

A bird in the hand (is worth two in the bush). : Sth that you say which means it is better what you have than to risk losing it by trying to get sth better---- pire için yorgan yakmak---I think you must keep going to course , it is a bird in the hand.---Eldeki bir kuş havadaki iki kustan iyidir.

be a dab hand  to be very good at an activity---- işin ehli olmak---- my mum is a dab hand at cooking.

the dead hand of sth : sth that stop progress from being made---- this catastrophe has become the dead hand of our business. 

can count sth on the fingers of one hand : sth you say for the things that are very rare---- bir elin parmaklarını gecmemek----  we can count people who know the formula of coca-cola on the finger of the hand…

first hand sth that is said for an event that was experienced by yourself ---- birinci elden---- he knows everything first hand.

give sb a free hand : to allow sb to do whatever they think is necessary in a particular situation---- tam yetki  vermek---- the principal gave John a free hand in this project.

hand over fist : if you make or lose money hand over first, you make or lose it in very large amounts----köşeyi dönmek---- he must have made money over fist or he couldn’t buy such a big house.

The hand that rocks the cradle (rules the world). : sth that you say which means women are very powerful because they have  most influence on the way in which children develop into adults  -----aile hayatını idare eden (kadınlar icin)---- my grandmum say for my mum ''she is the hand that rocks the cradle...

be in hand : if sth  is in hand, it is being dealt with. ----kontrol altinda olmak---- the problem of the school is in hand now.

be on hand to be near and reachable when it is needed.---- El altinda olmak---- my mobile phone is always on hand.

bite the hand that feeds you  to treat someone badly who helped you before ---- nankorluk etmek, sirtindan vurmak----  he bites any hand that feeds him.

close/near at hand : very near ----el altinda----  he wants everything to be close at hand.

come/go cap in hand : to ask sb for money in a way which makes you feel ashamed ----yüzü kızarmak ---- While he ask for debt, he came cap in hand.

a firm/steady hand on the tiller having a lot of control on a situation ----kontrolu elde tutmak----he has a firm hand on the tiller while working in that plant.

force sb's hand  to make sb to do sth  or make sb to do sth sooner than they want to do ---- sık bogaz etmek----  The manager of the factory was forced by workers to get more money.

get out of hand to get out of control -----kontrolden cikmak ( ele avuca sıgmamak)----  he got out of control of his father.

go hand in hand to be in connected with each other----- iliskili olmak----the bank and the assurance company go in hand in hand.

have a hand in sth  : to get involved in sth ----bir ise bulasmak , bir iste parmagi olmak----  Jim denied that he had a hand in the roobery.

hold sb's hand  to support sb who do sth difficult or who is frightened to do sth ----koltuk cıkmak---- Her boyfriend said’’ I will hold your hand all the time’’

I/You have to hand it to sb : sth you say which means that you admire a  person but not all the sides of him\her only one side of him\her---- yigidi öldür hakkını yeme---- I have to hand it to him that he is really good at art.

keep your hand in to practice a skill often enough not to lose the skill---- formunu korumak-----   Footballers have to keep their hand in not to get soft.

lay a hand on sb to hurt someone ----aci vermek----  he lays a hand on me..

live (from) hand to mouth  to have enough money just for living on, no money  for extra ----kit kanaat gecinmek----  the family which lost their son  in war live from hand to mouth.

out of hand refusing sth completely without discussing or thinking about it----- kestirip atmak----  it is out of hand for me to accept that job.

overplay your hand to try to get more things in a situation that you are likely to get -----kendine pay cıkarmak----he overplays his hand while there is a matter about money.

put your hand in your pocket to give money to charity that helps people in need ----elini cebine atmak( pamuk eller cebe!)----he put his hand in his pocket when he donated for the charity.

put your hand on your heart to be able to say sth true, not lie. -----Elini vicdanina koymak----  Put your hand on your heart! And say the truth!

raise your hand against/to sb to hit sb or threat to hit----- el kaldirmak----he never raise his hand against his children.

show your hand to tell your plans that you have never talked about them before-----kozunu meydana koymak, planlarini aciga vurmak----- he shocked us when he showed his hand.

throw in your hand to give up doing sth because you know you will fail----- benden paso demek-----  I had to throw in my hand because I couldn’t convince him to believe me.

tip your hand  to let other people know what your plans are or what you will do next---- planlarını acıga vurmak---- she tipped her hand so that she could act freely.

try your hand at sth  to try to do sth for the first time -----siftah etmek----   I was excited about bungee-jumping, because I tried my hand at it.

turn your hand to sth  to say sth which means that sb can do sth well although s\he have no experience of it. ----Bi ise kalkışmak---- Sevda can turn her hand anything she wants because of her ability..

wait on sb hand and foot to do everything for sb so that they don’t have anything to do for themselves---- kul kole olmak ---He loves his girlfriend so much that he waits on her hand and foot

give sb a hand  to help sb do sth---- yardim eli uzatmak---- I will give my mum a hand to make the cleaning easy.

lend (sb) a hand to help sb to do sth ----yardim eli uzatmak (same meaning with give sb a hand) ----- I will lend my mum a hand to make the cleaning easy.

a hand-me-down a piece of clothing that was worn by elder brother or sister of someone and now is worn by him\her ----elden dusme kiyafet, kullanilmis giyecek,pacavra----  my cousins were fighting for a hand-me-down…

an iron fist/hand in a velvet glove sth you say for someone who seems to be gentle but in fact he\she is severe and firm -----koyun postu giymis kurt ----- he is absolutely a hand in a velvet glove when I look at him I can see the hypocrisy in his eyes

the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing sth you say which means in an organization communication is so bad that one part doesn’t know what another part is doing----- sag elinin yaptigindan sol elinin haberi olmamak-----  we must benefit secretlt as it is said that ‘’ the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing’’

the matter in hand the subject that is talked or  discussed----- gundem konusu, eldeki konu----  the matter in hand is not too easy to discuss about.

an old hand sb who has done sth for a long time and who can do it very well ----görmüş geciriş olmak ,isin gurmesi olmak---- he is an old hand in art of Ebru.

on the one hand...on the other hand sth you say when you talk about two different facts ------bi yandan boyleyken ….. ote yandan boyle---- On the hand I love him so much on the other hand he drives me crazy…

have sb in the palm of your hand to have so much control on someone ----avucunda oynatmak----  she can do anything for him, he has her in the palm of his hand .

give/hand sth to sb on a plate to let sb get sth very easy and without working on it ----- cantada keklik---  he hands that job to his brother on a plate so that his father does not get angry.

give/hand sth to sb on a (silver) platter to let sb get sth very easily and  without working on it  ---cantada keklik--- she was handed that job o a silver platter.

hand over the reins to let sb get control of sth that you have controlled it before esp. a organization----dizginleri devretmek---- they handed over the reins to the young ones.

sb's right-hand man/woman  sb who helps you and who you count on -----birinin sag kolu olmak---- he is my father’s right hand man.

sleight of hand ways of deceiving people which you need skill to do--- el cabuklugu---- he can use the sleight of hanmd so well.

have your fingers/hand in the till to steal money from the shop you work for ---yediğin tabagı pislemek---- he was blamed for having his hand in the till.

have the upper hand to have a position of power and control on sb, or if an emotion has the upper hand,it controls you. ----Kontrolu elde tutmak ---- Duygunun esiri olmak  she had the upper hand in her relationship with him.

have/hold the whip hand to be the person or group that has the most power in a situation  ---iktidar olmak ,ustun olmak--- the first group hold the whip hand in building the mosque

all hands on deck sth you say when everyone’s help is needed --- hepimiz birimiz birimiz hepimiz için--- that was such a bad situation that everyone were ready to help as if that was said'' all hands on deck''

at hand happening or present at this time----hali hazirda--- they are playing ''batak'' at hand.

at the hands of someone  because of someone’s actions----birinin yuzunden--- At the hands of him I couldn't catch the lesson.

be in safe hands to be looked after by sb who can be trusted -----emin ellerde olmak----- I gave my luggage to hande because I know it will be in safe hands.

be out of someone's hands if sth is out of someone’s hand, s\he is not responsible for that thing anymore -----sorumlulugundan cikmak---  because of our argue with sevda about laptops, they are out of my hands...

be putty in your hands if someone is putty in your hands, he can do whatever you want them to do because they love you so much---- kul kole olmak --- since he loves her so much that he is putty in her hand.

beat someone hands down  to win easily --- alt etmek---he beated his rival hands down in the box match.

by hand without a help of a machine ----el yapimi olan--- she sewed that sweater by hand.

can't keep your hands off someone if you can’t keep your hands of someone you are having a sexual relationship, you touch them very often and you feel very attracted to them ---- the boss can't keep his hands off his secretary so she had to resign.

catch someone with their fingers/hand in the till to catch someone who steal money from the shop he works for ----- suc ustu yakalamak----- the principal catched the office boy with his hand in the till.

change hands to be sold by someone and bought by someone else ---el degistirmek---- the bookstore changed hands because of the economic crisis

The devil finds work for idle hands. Sth you say which means people who have no work or activity are tend to do bad things, such as commit crimes.--- boş gezenin boş kalfası----

dirty your hands to get involved in a bad activity that change other people’s opinions of you ---- gozden dusmek-----

fall into someone's hands if sb falls into bad person’s hands, that bad person can own the control over him\her. -----birinin eline dusmek----- you must not fall into his hands.

fall into the wrong hands (same meaning with the idiom above –fall into ones hands-)---- if you fall into wrong hands, you will be in a great trouble.

a firm/steady hand on the tiller someone who has a lot of control over a situation -----kontrolu elinde olmak----  the manager is a firm hand on the tiller on the project of making library for the poor students.

get your hands dirty to involve in all parts of a job even if that parts are unpleasant--- işin bütün yükünü çekmek--- they are so helpful that they can get their hands dirty for poor students.

get your hands on someone if you say you will kill someone when you get your hands on him\her, you mean you are very angry with her\him. ------Eline gecirmek ( eline gecirince oldurmek)---- If I get my hands on him I will kill him, becaus he irritates me so much.

get your hands on something to obtain sth. -----Elde etmek----- He can do anyting to get his hands on that money.

get/lay your hands on something to succeed in obtaining sth ------elde etmek---- he can do anything to get/lay his hands on that money.

hand down something to give sth to a younger member of the family ----miras birakmak----- I will hand down my earrings to my little cousin when I die.

hand in glove if a person or an organization is working hand in glove with another one, it means they are working together esp. in something bad. ----suc ortağı olmak---- (benli olmak)----- The gangs and the police are working hand in glove in roberry.

hand out something to give sth to each person ----dagıtmak--- mert handed out the biscuits to us.

hand over someone/something to give sth or sb to someone else---- teslim etmek ---- My mum hand over me to my friends when I came here.

hand-wringing (wring hand) to show you are very sad and anxious about sth but do nothing to improve it--- ellerini ogusturmak---

someone's hands are tied sth you say which means a person can’t behave in a way s\he would like to---- eli kolu baglı---- her hands aretied because her father is so strict.

your hands are tied you are not free to act ---- elin kolun baglı--- Your hands are tied since your mum are too strict about that matters.

hands down  very easily ----cocuk oyuncagı----you can make a cake hands down.

hat in hand with an attitude for someone powerful ---- el pençe divan---- he was behaving to his boss hat in hand.

have a hand in doing something take part in an activity ----yer almak----  she wants to have a hand in every business. 

have blood on your hands to be responsible for someone’s death ---elini kana bulamak--- the old man has a blood on his hands and he experienced so much in his life when he was younger.

have clean hands to avoid become involved in bad situations or bad and illegal things ----pis islere bulasmamak----  since he is afraid of polices,he wants to have clean hands all the time.

have your hands full to be busy so much that you don’t have time to do sth else---- isi basindan askin olmak---- I had my hands full when my mum came to my office.

have something in hand (be in hand) to have sth to deal with ---- bir şeyle meşgul olmak--- Mary  has many boys in hand.

have someone/something on your hands to be responsible of sth----  she has so much housework on her hands.

have time on your hands to have time when you have nothing to do --- boş zamanı olmak--- she has time in her hands when her children are at school

have (got) to hand it to someone to recognize that sb deserves to respect for what s\he did.---- Yigidi oldur hakkini yeme!---- You have got to hand it to her,she did a good job.

in good hands cared for with great attention ---emin ellerde olmak--- she believed her child woukd be in good hands when she met with her child's teacher.

in hand controlled- immediately avaible----- el altinda bulunan--- the assistance is in hand all th time at this hotel.

in the hands of someone held and controlled  by someone -----kontrolunde olmak---- the patients are in the hands of nurses and they are looked after well.

join hands (with someone) to unite with other people and groups --- işbirliği yapmak--- they want to join hands with everybody in the city or helping casulties.

keep your hands off something not to touch or become involved in sth ---- etliye sütlüye karısmamak---- you must keep your hand of everything If you want to live...

leave something in someone's hands  be in someone’s hands that you count on---- birinin ellerine birakmak---- you should leave all the business in your children's because the stress is not good for you.

your life is in someone's hands if your life is someone’s hand, that person is responsible for what happen to you ----hayati birine bagli olmak--- you  must be careful because I don't want to have troubles and also as you know your life is in my hand.

off someone's hands not to be responsible of sth anymore--- sorumlulugundan cikmak--- It is off my hands: I dont like it.

on hand immediately available---- hali hazırda--- the medical staff are on hand when a very famous people comes here.

place/put your life in someone's hands to be controlled by a person who is responsible for what happen to you.  ----Hayatini birinin ellerine bırakmak---- I can put my life in your hands because I trust you so much.

play into someone's hands to do something that gives someone else an advantage over you, although this was not your intention ----ekmegine yag surmek---I played into Hande's hands, because she got the job!

play into the hands of someone to give someone an advantage ---- kıyak gecmek---- I played into the hands of her to help her.

a safe pair of hands someone that you can trust to do an important job well --- she thinks for one of her employees that he is a safe pair of hands.

shake hands to greet or say goodbye by holding someone’s hand and moving up and down---el sıkışmak--- they love each other so much that while shaking hands, they cant leave eac other's hands.

sit on your hands to do nothing about a problem or matter that has to be dealt with----eli kolu baglı olmak----he sat on his hands when he heard that his wife was dead.

take someone/something in hand to start to deal with sth or sb that causes problems---ders vermek ,kulaklarini cekmek----this child must be taken in hand since he is so naughty.

take something into your own hands  to deal with sth yourself -- kendi başının çaresine bakmak--- I have to take my assignments into my own hands.

take your life in your hands to do sth very dangerous ---hayatini tehlikeye  atmak---  he took our lives in his hands while driving drunk.

take matters into your own hands to deal with sth yourself because people who should have dealt with it have failed to do so.---kendi basinin caresine bakmak---- I have to take matters into my ow hands so I can be more comfortable about it.

take someone/something off someone's hands make sb not be responsible of sth. ---- azletmek---she took the project off his hands because he deceived her.

take the law into your own hands to do sth illegal to punish someone because you know that law wont punish that person.

throw up your hands to stop to do sth because it is too difficult to do. ---el etek cekmek---I had to throw up my hands when things went wrong.

time on your hands a period when you have nothing you must do---- she has time on her hands when her children at school.

wandering hands a person with wandering hands tries to touch people for sexual relationships.---- the man who wanders around is absolutely a wandering hands so be careful should you see him.

wash your hands of someone/something to stop being involved with sth because it caused so many problems to you --- el etek cekmek.--- I want to wash my hands of him: he starts to hurt me.

with your bare hands without using any type of weapon or tool--- cıplak elle yapmak---  I did it with my bare hands so it is more natural and valuable for me.

with your own fair hands doing sth yourself without any help ----kendi ayaklari ustunde durmak---  She passed the exam with her own fair hands.

work hand in glove with someone/something  to do sth in a close collaboration with other ones ---- birlikte is cevirmek--- they were working hand in glove with the captain of that group.

 

From http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/hand

from G://idioms.cambridgedictionariesonline - cambridge university press. html  

from http://turktrans.net/idioms/show.php?action.=search&word=hand 

from http://tureng.com/search/have+in+hand 

from http://www.learn-english-today.com/idioms

from http://www.tomisimo.org/idioms/label/hand