All About Hands Trivia Quiz

Answer: bird

There were several variations of this proverb, such as, "A byrd in hand - is worth ten flye at large" (about 1530) and "Better one byrde in hande than ten in the wood" (about 1546). "The Bird in Hand" has been the name of pubs over a long period of time.
There are two additional nuances in this phrase--1) "bird" could refer to a falcon in medieval falconry, and 2) bird could be another way of referring to a girl or a woman.
Obviously, the phrase refers to the fact that it's better to actually have one thing than to be thinking of what it could be like to have two or three or four.

Answer: Time

"Time on My Hands" has been a hit song in the 1930s, John Schofield's album, an incident in "Dad's Army," a famous British comedy, a scene from "Rocky and Bullwinkle," and, in 1932, an animated film. Peter Delacorte wrote a 1997 time-travel novel with this title, hypothesizing what might have happened if Ronald Reagan had not been President.

It focused on the 1930s in Hollywood where Reagan had been in the movie world. Bryan Ferry performed "Time on My Hands." The song appeared on "As Time Goes By" in 1997.

Answer: left

This comes from the Bible, Matthew 6:3-4. It is interpreted generally this way. Good deeds should not be done in a way which calls attention to them. Good deeds should be done sometimes secretly, even "so that your alms may be done in secret." Sometimes the phrase begins, "when you give to the needy ..." (or "to the poor"). Overall, it is a phrase which reminds people to not become too vain and consumed by their sense of their own glory, in short to "not sound a trumpet before you."

Answer: cradle

This is a proverb, with all of a proverb's strengths and potential 'meanings." It expresses the idea that the greatest power overall is the power of raising and maintaining the next generation. This version of the phrase has been attributed to William Ross Wallace in 1896: "A mightier power and stronger Man from his throne has hurled / For the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world." Wallace also wrote an 1865 poem called "What Rules the World" with this phrase in it.

Glen Campbell and Steve Wariner sang "Hand That Rocks the Cradle."

Answer: upper

This phrase seems to come from sandlot baseball in the ritual involved in choosing who's first at bat. In this activity, players would first place their hands at the widest part of the bat and take turns until one player reached a place where they had the upper hand literally, that is, no room for another "upper hand." Some allege that the phrase dates back to the Roman game called "Knuckles." Others attribute it to various games of chance.

The phrases all share the notion that someone has a definite advantage.

Answer: despair

When a person "throws hands up in despair," it signifies a sense of defeat, that there is nothing more to do to change things. Hands turn out to be very central elements in showing feeling or bad luck. For instance, to live from "hand to mouth" means that a person is living on the edge, without any extras -- immediately going from hand to mouth with no way out of that movement.

Answer: Pocket

This song was written by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard and appeared in 1995 on "Jagged Little Pill," her third album. The song became extremely famous for its personal tenacity:

"And what it all comes down to my friends
Is that everything's just fine fine fine
'Cause I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is hailing a taxi cab"

Answer: Left

Ursula Le Guin is the daughter of a famous anthropologist. Her novels, particularly this one, deal with alternative ways of living and understanding. This novel examines darkness and the left side of things as being more positive than people often acknowledge.

Answer: Cool

This 1967 Paul Newman film perfectly presents a rebel who strives to be independent of authority and external rules. In many ways, it is important that the word "hand" is in the title. A "hand" can be an apprentice, a person in an inferior position. Luke is a cool hand, not one who is easily agitated by superficial signs of authority. Hands also often gesticulate wildly as a mirror of excitement. The title of this film accurately shows the many layers of Luke's unique courage.

Specifically, however, Luke got his nickname from bluffing out his opponent in a poker game when he had an inferior "hand" in the game. There is a famous line from the film which tells it all: "Sometimes, nothin' can be a pretty cool hand."

Answer: seize

Reports concur that the origins of the word "hand" are Germanic. It is linked most regularly to the idea of seizing, so that finally "hand" was the part of the body used to seize or to grab hold of something.