underhand

English

Etymology

under +‎ hand

Pronunciation

• enPR: ŭnʹdə(r)-(h)ănd', IPA^(key): /ˈʌn.də(ɹ)ˌ(h)ænd/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• Hyphenation: un‧der‧hand

Adjective

underhand (comparative more underhand, superlative most underhand)

1. secret; clandestine
2. (by extension) dishonest and sneaky; done in a secret or sly manner
3. (in various ball games, of a ball) thrown (etc.) with the hand brought forward and up from below

Synonyms

• (all): underhanded
• (ball games): underarm

Translations

dishonest and sneaky

• Bulgarian: коварен (bg) (kovaren), непочтен (bg) (nepočten)
• Dutch: achterbaks (nl)
• Finnish: salakähmäinen (fi)
• French: sournois (fr)
• German: hinterhältig (de), heimlich (de)
• Italian: subdolo (it), sfuggente (it), viscido (it)
• Maori: tītipa
• Russian: вороватый (ru) (vorovatyj)
• Spanish: solapado (es), ^{(please verify)} bajuno

Adverb

underhand (comparative more underhand, superlative most underhand)

1. with an underhand movement
2. in a sly, sneaky or secret manner

Synonyms

• (in a secret manner): underhandedly

Translations

in a dishonest and sneaky manner

• Bulgarian: коварно (bg) (kovarno), подмолно (bg) (podmolno)
• Catalan: de sotamà
• Finnish: salakähmäisesti (fi)
• Italian: subdolamente (it), sottobanco (it)
• Russian: украдкой (ru) (ukradkoj), тихой сапой (ru) (tixoj sapoj)

Verb

underhand (third-person singular simple present underhands, present participle underhanding, simple past and past participle underhanded)

1. To toss or lob with an underhand movement.
   • 2010, Michael Hodgins, Reluctant Warrior, →ISBN:

     Couture made straight for the refrigerator and returned with cold beer, underhanding them in turn to each of the team members, Sergeant Thi included.

   • 2013, George R.R. Martin, Wild Cards: Inside Straight, →ISBN:

     Michael underhanded his half-dozen sticks into the audience as the stage lights went dark and house lights came up at the rear of the auditorium.

   • 2014, Jack Heffron, The Local Boys: Hometown Players for the Cincinnati Reds, →ISBN, page 60:

     In that era, a pitcher's job was to initiate play by underhanding the ball to the batter in a way that would prevent hard hits but not necessarily in hopes of a strikeout.

2. To trick, deceive or gull.
   • 1922, Baking Technology - Volumes 1-2, page 193:

     The time has arrived when monkeying with the public must cease, when lying and underhanding your competitor in the baking business must be banished from the plan of business development.

   • 1994, Benjamin Gilad, Business blindspots:

     The other was that the majority of the purchasing contracts represented “good deals” because suppliers would not wish to be caught underhanding this company due to its size and influence in the market.

   • 2010, Christiana I. Chineme, God Didn't Do It; He Only Signed Off On It, →ISBN, page 149:

     Many have been underhanded by fate and occasionally made to ask, like I once did, if there is a God, and if there is, how could they experience His power.

3. (mining) To excavate downward in successive steps or horizontal slices while positioned above on unbroken ore.
   • 1903, Mining Reporter - Volume 47, page 480:

     About one-half the body has been mined by underhanding into mill holes; but with the adoption of the water drill, shrinkage stoping is being largely used and the larger stopes are mined as at Levack.

   • 1925, Bureau of Mines Information Circular, page 166:

     The floors are then extracted by underhanding, and finally the pillars at the levels are trimmed to the minimum size necessary to support the walls.

   • 1942, Mining Technology - Volume 6, Issue 1, page 9:

     This method is used only in a one-set panel mined from level to level by underhanding into the chute at the foot- wall end of the previous panel.

Noun

underhand (plural underhands)

1. (textiles) The lower of two hands, the hand under the work.

   Your underhand should be entirely under the quilt.

Anagrams

• unharden'd