out of hand

out of hand idiom
  1. See out of control.
  2. At once, immediately, as in The second surgeon rejected the doctor's treatment plan out of hand. [1300s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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