old hand
Americannoun
noun
-
a person who is skilled at something through long experience
-
informal (in the 19th century) an ex-convict
-
informal a person who is long established in a place
Etymology
Origin of old hand
First recorded in 1775–85
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He came over, knelt down, and fingered the cut with his gentle old hands.
From Literature
Etta, now pregnant, had an endless supply of things for me to fix, though sometimes I suspected she was ripping seams and popping buttons on purpose just to give my old hands something to do.
From Literature
Rashford, also bidding to earn a World Cup slot with England while on loan from Manchester United, will be experiencing an El Clasico for the first time, but Bellingham is an old hand.
From BBC
Could the cardinals elect an African or an Asian Pope, or might they favour one of the old hands of the Vatican administration?
From BBC
Ms Harris has also relied on many of Mr Obama’s old hands to help run her campaign.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
