- dead hand
- noun Date: 14th century 1. mortmain 1 2. the oppressive influence of the past
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
dead hand
Look at other dictionaries:
Dead hand — Dead Dead (d[e^]d), a. [OE. ded, dead, deed, AS. de[ a]d; akin to OS. d[=o]d, D. dood, G. todt, tot, Icel. dau[eth]r, Sw. & Dan. d[ o]d, Goth. daubs; prop. p. p. of an old verb meaning to die. See {Die}, and cf. {Death}.] 1. Deprived of life;… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Dead hand — can refer to: Dead Hand (nuclear war), a nuclear deterrent in the Cold War. The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and its Dangerous Legacy Dead Hand, a sub boss in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The Dead Hand, original… … Wikipedia
dead hand — n: mortmain Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. dead hand … Law dictionary
Dead Hand — can refer to: Dead Hand (nuclear war), a Soviet weapons control system during the Cold War Mortmain, a legal term, literally Dead Hand in French This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an … Wikipedia
dead hand — noun singular LITERARY a strong harmful influence that something continues to have … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
dead hand — dead′ hand′ n. law mortmain … From formal English to slang
dead hand — ► NOUN ▪ an undesirable persisting influence … English terms dictionary
dead hand — n. MORTMAIN … English World dictionary
dead hand — noun 1. real property held inalienably (as by an ecclesiastical corporation) • Syn: ↑mortmain • Topics: ↑corporation, ↑corp • Hypernyms: ↑real property, ↑real estate, ↑r … Useful english dictionary
dead hand — N SING: usu the N of n You can refer to something which has a bad or depressing influence on a particular situation as a dead hand. [mainly BRIT] To promote new investment the dead hand of state control must be lifted … English dictionary
dead hand — /dɛd ˈhænd/ (say ded hand) noun 1. an oppressive and retarding influence: the dead hand of the law. 2. → mortmain. 3. Obsolete Colloquial an expert at doing something …
