Several years ago, I read a Reader Digest collector's edition on Word Roots. Since then, the idea of Root has prodded me to discover the genesis of new words and phrases I came across. Knowing the roots greatly enhances a person's vocabulary. It also helps to remember the meaning of words with little effort, so one does not have struggle to learn them by rote.
"Hands Down" therefore for obvious reasons led me to uncover why the phrase is so called. Winning hands down is commonly used to refer to the fact that someone has won something with little effort. It appears the phrase is from horse racing where jockeys who have a comfortable lead, slacken their reigns ("Hands Down" - not nudging the horse to run at the same pace any more) as they approach the finishing line for an easy win.
Friday, January 30, 2015
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