Know Something Like the Back Of One’s Hand

To know something like the back of your hand is not the only English idiom that refers to the back of one’s hand. But these idioms are surprisingly unrelated. To ‘give (or show) someone the back of your hand‘ means to reject them or show contempt for them; to be unimpressed with a person or something they said, etc. A back-handed compliment is similar, meaning an insult disguised as a compliment. To know something like the back of your hand has nothing to do with insults or contempt and instead speaks to the familiarity we have with this part of our anatomy.

Meaning Of Idiom ‘Know Something Like the Back of One’s Hand’

To know something like the back of one’s hand means to be extremely familiar with or knowledgeable about it; to understand something perfectly; to have a detailed knowledge of something. 1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,2Definition of know something like the back of your hand from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press.

Sentence Examples

“I got directions from a man who knows the area like the back of his hand.”

“I know this town like the back of my hand and I can tell you for sure that there is no Italian restaurant here.”

“I can’t really find my way in the city but I know the woods like the back of my hand.”

“When I was a stockperson in my uncle’s grocery store, I knew the place like the back of my hand and could tell you where every single item was located down to the shelf it sat on.”

“Sir Francis wanted his inheritance to go to a man who was worthy of it. A man like himself, who knows the seas like the back of his hand.” — The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

“This is Jack Bennett, one of our orderlies. Jake Malloy, new arrival. If you need anything, ask Jack. He knows the place like the back of his hand.” — D-Tox (2002)

“Your brother is the only one Who can get the treasure back safe and sound. Because he knows the ocean like the back of his hand.” — Blue (2009)

Origin

Used since the mid-1900s, this idiom alludes to how familiar we are with the back of our hand, perhaps the part of our anatomy that is the easiest to observe.

More ‘Hand’ Idioms