John is always trying to get the upper hand on someone.
•He never ends up having the upper hand, though.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
gain the upper hand — gain/get the upper hand have the upper hand if someone has the upper hand, they have a position of power and control over someone else, and if an emotion has the upper hand, it controls what you do. Government troops are gradually gaining the… … New idioms dictionary
get the upper hand — gain/get the upper hand have the upper hand if someone has the upper hand, they have a position of power and control over someone else, and if an emotion has the upper hand, it controls what you do. Government troops are gradually gaining the… … New idioms dictionary
have the upper hand — if someone has the upper hand, they have a position of power and control over someone else, and if an emotion has the upper hand, it controls what you do. At half time, the Italian team seem to have the upper hand … New idioms dictionary
have the upper hand — have (or gain) the upper hand have or gain advantage or control over someone or something * * * gain, get, have, etc. the ˌupper ˈhand idiom to get an advantage over sb so that you are in control of a particular situation Main entry: ↑upperidiom … Useful english dictionary
hand */*/*/ — I UK [hænd] / US noun Word forms hand : singular hand plural hands 1) [countable] the part of your body at the end of each arm that you use for picking up and holding things Mrs Bennet put her hands over her ears to shut out the noise. have/hold… … English dictionary
hand — /hænd / (say hand) noun 1. (in humans) the terminal, prehensile part of the arm, consisting of the palm and five digits. 2. the corresponding part of the forelimb in any of the higher vertebrates. 3. the terminal part of any limb when prehensile …
upper — up|per1 W2 [ˈʌpə US er] adj [only before noun] [Date: 1200 1300; Origin: up] 1.) in a higher position than something else ≠ ↑lower ▪ the upper lip 2.) near or at the top of something ≠ ↑lower ▪ the upper floors of a building ▪ … Dictionary of contemporary English
upper — 1 adjective (only before noun) 1 in a higher position than something else: the upper lip 2 near or at the top of something: The monkeys live in the upper branches. 3 have/gain the upper hand to have more power than someone else, so that you are… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
hand — handlike, adj. /hand/, n. 1. the terminal, prehensile part of the upper limb in humans and other primates, consisting of the wrist, metacarpal area, fingers, and thumb. 2. the corresponding part of the forelimb in any of the higher vertebrates. 3 … Universalium
Hand grenade — M67 fragmentation grenade, a widely used modern hand grenade. A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades.[1] Explosive grenades… … Wikipedia
Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania — Geobox Township name = Upper Merion Township native name = other name = other name1 = category = Township image size = image caption = flag size = symbol = symbol size = nickname = motto = country = United States state = Pennsylvania region =… … Wikipedia
