English

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Prepositional phrase

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in hand

  1. In physical possession; at one's disposal. [from 10th c.]
    Synonyms: at hand, on hand, to hand, handy; at the ready
  2. Held in the hand or hands. [from 14th c.]
    Pen in hand, I turned back to the letter I was writing.
  3. (obsolete) In the presence of a particular person. [14th–19th c.]
  4. Under consideration; currently being dealt with or addressed. [from 14th c.]
    Antonyms: ignored, neglected
    • 1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 6, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 119:
      'What have they to do with the matter in hand - the murder on this train?'
    • 1951 January, R. A. H. Weight, “A Railway Recorder in Essex and Hertfordshire”, in Railway Magazine, page 44:
      They form part of the vast electrification and reconstruction schemes which have been in hand for a number of years at Liverpool Street, and in suburban Essex, and include the rearrangement of tracks, of which the Ilford flyover forms part; the modern signal boxes, now needed only at key points; the electric control or sub-stations; and a large electric car shed.
  5. Under control. [from 18th c.]
    Antonym: out of hand
    You need to get this situation in hand, and fast.
  6. (snooker, billiards, pool) Of the cue ball: not on the table; able to be positioned by the current player. [from 19th c.]
  7. (sports, chiefly UK) Still to be played. [from 19th c.]
    • 2013 September 16, The Guardian:
      At the other end [] the Sounders completed a run that had taken them from 15 points off the lead, to first place in the Supporters Shield standings with two games in hand.

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  NODES
Note 1