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Near; near at hand; closely. [Obs. or Scot.] Bacon.

Instant; ready; extemporaneous; as, an offhand speech; offhand excuses. -- adv.

Employing one hand; as, the one-hand alphabet. See Dactylology.

Generous; liberal; munificent. -- O"pen-hand`ed*ness, n. J. S. Mill.

The upper hand; advantage; superiority; mastery. He had gotten thereby a great overhand on me. Sir T. More.

To handle, or use, too much; to mention too often. Shak.

The handle of a pan; hence, fig., any arm or projection suggestive of the handle of a pan; as, the panhandle of West Virginia, Texas, or Idaho.

West Virginia; -- a nickname.

Having hands red with blood; in the very act, as if with red or bloody hands; -- said of a person taken in the act of homicide; hence, fresh from the commission of crime; as, he was taken red-hand or red-handed.

Situated or being on the right; nearer the right hand than the left; as, the right-hand side, room, or road.

Using the right hand habitually, or more easily than the left.

The state or quality of being right-handed; hence, skill; dexterity.

The case, or impermeable apparel, in which a diver can work while under water.

Not original or primary; received from another. They have but a secondhand or implicit knowledge. Locke.

A kind of muslin of a texture between nainsook and mull.

A jocosely depreciative name for a vehicle. [Ireland]

A mixture of strong beer and ginger beer. [Eng.]

Short of, or lacking the regular number of, servants or helpers.

A compendious and rapid method or writing by substituting characters, abbreviations, or symbols, for letters, words, etc.; short writing; stenography. See Illust. under Phonography.

Having but one hand, or one workman; also, alone; unassisted.