Idioms com as palavras Hand, Arm, Palm e Thumb

all  hands on deck

- todos devem trabalhar juntos porque têm muito trabalho a fazer
The captain called for all hands on deck as the storm became stronger and stronger. 

all thumbs

- ser  desajeitado, ter dificuldade em consertar coisas ou trabalhar com as mãos
The man is all thumbs and he can never fix something without making it worse. 

arm in arm

- unidos pelos braços, abraçados
The couple walked along the beach arm in arm. 

armpit of (somewhere)

- um lugar que é o lugar mais feio ou pior de uma área específica
The small city is the armpit of the country and nobody wants to go there to work. 

at hand

- fácil de alcançar, por perto, em mãos
There were no tools at hand so I could not fix the stove. 

at one's fingertips

ao alcance
I usually have my address book at my fingertips. 

at the hands of (someone or something)

- algo ou alguém que estã nas mãos de álguém, sob a responsabilidade ou poder de 
We were at the hands of nature as we waited for the storm to end. 

bite one's nails

- roer unha
The girl was biting her nails as she waited for the speech contest to begin. 

bite the hand that feeds you

- prejudicar alguém que te ajuda
The girl will bite the hand that feeds her if she continues to complain about the help that her parents give her. 

bound hand and foot

ter os pés e mãos amarrados, estar impossibilidade de fazer algo
The bank manager was bound hand and foot by the bank robbers. 

burn one`s fingers

- ser prejudicado por alguma coisa, sofrer as consequências de suas ações
My father burned his fingers in the stock market and he does not want to invest money there again. 

by the handful

- pelo montante que se pode medir em um punhado.  Algo cmo: Me diga com quem andas que eu te direi quem és
We were able to pick strawberries by the handful in the small field. 

cannot see one's hand in front of one's face

- ser incapaz de ver muito longe (geralmente por causa da escuridão ou neblina) - Não poder ver um palmo a frente
I could not see my hands in front of my face because of the heavy rain. 

catch (someone) red-handed

- pegar alguém no ato de fazer algo errado ou ruim, pegar alguem em flagrante
The teacher caught the boys red-handed after they wrote on the school wall. 

caught with one's hand in the cookie jar

- para ser pego fazendo algo errado ou ilegal, ser pego pegando algo (muitas vezes dinheiro) que não se deve tomar (assim como uma criança pode ser pega tomando biscoitos de um pote de cookies quando ele ou ela não deveria)
The woman was caught with her hand in the cookie jar when we saw her stealing office supplies. 

change hands

- vender ou dar algo para outra pessoa
The small corner store has changed hands many times recently. 

close at hand

- ao alcance, por perto
There were no restaurants close at hand when we decided to go for dinner. 

closefisted (with money)

- pão duro
My uncle is very closefisted with money. 

come away empty-handed

- retornar sem algo, de mãos vazias
We came away from the department store empty-handed. 

control (someone or something) with an iron fist

- ter controle completo sobre pessoas ou organização
The manager controls the staff with an iron fist. 

cost an arm and a leg or cost (someone) an arm and a leg

- custar muito caro. Os olhos da cara
My father's new car cost an arm and a leg. 
The man's new car cost him an arm and a leg. 

cross one`s fingers

- fazer figas
I crossed my fingers that I would get the job that I had applied for. 

cross (someone's) palm with silver

- dar dinheiro para alguém como pagamento de um serviço
We crossed the hotel clerk's palm with silver to get a good room. 

dirty one`s hands

- atingir o caráter ou a reputação de alguém
The politician dirtied his hands when he became involved in the land scandal. 

dismiss (something) out of hand

- decidir sem pensar que não aceitará uma idéia ou argumento ou plano
The company dismissed the union's offer out of hand. 

do (something) by hand

- fazer algo com as mãos em vez de fazer com uma máquina
The washing machine is broken so we have to do our clothes by hand. 

eat out of (someone's) hand

- comer na mão de alguém. Fazer tudo o que alguém quer
I usually can get my supervisor to eat out of my hand. 

elbow (someone) out of (something)

- forçar ou pressionar alguém a deixar uma posição
The new manager got his new position by elbowing many people out of the way. 

fall into the wrong hands

- cair nas maos erradas
The government does not want the new weapons to fall into the wrong hands. 

(someone's) fingerprints are on (something)

- Uma ação ou peça de trabalho é típica de uma pessoa em particular. Ter a marca de alguém em algo
The fingerprints of our boss are on the plans to restructure our department. 

a firm hand

- controlar algo ou alguém
The company uses a firm hand in managing their financial resources. 

first hand

- por experiência pessoal direta (você pode ver ou experimentar ou aprender sobre algo por conta própria)
We saw the car accident first hand when we were driving down the highway. 

fold one's hands

- juntar as mãos para que elas fiquem com as palmas unidas e os dedos interligados
The students folded their hands and sat quietly on their chairs. 

force (someone's) hand

- forçar uma pessoa a revelar seus segredos
Our lawyer forced the opposing lawyer's hand. 

from hand to hand

- de mão em mão
We passed the dictionaries from hand to hand until everybody had one. 

gain the upper hand (on someone or something)

- conquistar uma posição superior ou mais vantajosa
The firefighters finally gained the upper hand on the forest fire. 

get one's hands on (someone or something)

- achar alguém ou algo díficil de conseguir localizar
I need to get my hands on a new part for my computer printer. 

get out of hand

- dificil ou impossivel de controlar
The party got out of hand so the school authorities decided to tell everyone to go home. 

get the upper hand (on someone)

- estar numa posição superior a outros
The union was able to get the upper hand on the company. 

give one`s right arm for (something)

- dar algo de valor para alguém
I would give my right arm for a chance to go to Florida with my friend next month. 

give (someone) a big hand or give a big hand to/for (someone)

- bater palmas
The audience gave the musicians a big hand when they finished their performance. 

give (someone) a free hand

- permitir que alguém faça algo da maneira que eles escolherem
The senior managers give their employees a free hand to make their work schedule. 

give (someone) a hand with (something)

- ajudar
I gave my friend a hand when he moved into his new apartment. 

give (someone or something) the thumbs up

- fazer um favor
The city gave the music festival organizers the thumbs up for the music festival. 

glad hand (someone)

- dar a alguém um aperto de mão amigável, dar uma saudação calorosa a alguém
The politician spent the day glad handing the crowd at the shopping center. 

go away empty-handed

- partir sem nada, de mãos vazias
The woman went away empty-handed from the job interview. 

go hand in hand (with something)

-para estar intimamente relacionado com algo de maneira a que considerem que estejam juntos
The change in school hours goes hand in hand with the new policy regarding class sizes. 

grease (someone`s) palm

- subornar alguém
We had to grease the palm of the customs agent to get our goods into the country. 

green thumb

- talento para jardinagem
The man has a green thumb and has a very beautiful garden. 

hand in glove (with someone)

- em estreita cooperação, em estreita relação ou acordo
The new company policy goes hand in glove with the new manager. 

hand in hand

- de mãos dadas
The young couple walked hand in hand along the beach. 

hand over fist

- rápido e em grandes quantidades
We have been making money hand over fist in our new store. 

hand over hand

- movendo uma mão após a outra
We climbed hand over hand up the side of the wall. 

hand-to-hand combat

- lutar sem armas
The two soldiers were doing hand-to-hand combat. 

(one's) hands are tied

- mãos amarradas. Impusibilidado de ajudar alguém
My hands are tied at the moment and I cannot help my friend. 

hands down

- facilmente
The boy won the election hands down for the position of class president.

hands off (something)

- deixar algo em paz, não interferir com algo
We took a hands-off approach while dealing with the new employee. 

hang on by one's fingernails

- continuar ou conseguir fazer algo em uma situação difícil
The man has much debt and is only hanging on by his fingernails. 

have a finger in the pie

- estar envolvido em algo
The man has a finger in the pie of the new business. 

have a free hand (to do something)

- ser concedido o controle completo para fazer algo
The teacher has a free hand to choose new textbooks for the class. 

have a hand in (something)

- estar envolvido em algo
The school principal has a hand in the new cafeteria rules. 

have clean hands

- ter as mãos limpas, ser inocente
The man has clean hands regarding the situation with the stolen goods. 

have elbow room

- ter espaço suficiente
We have much elbow room in our new house. 

have one's finger in too many pies

- fazer muitas coisas ao mesmo tempo
Our supervisor has her finger in too many pies and she is not able to do her job well. 

have one's finger on the pulse

- estar ciente de mudanças ou desenvolvimentos recentes em uma situação ou atividade específica
Our supervisor has her finger on the pulse and knows what everybody is doing. 

have one's hand in the till

- estar roubando dinheiro de uma empresa ou organização
The sales clerk has had her hand in the till since she first started her job. 

have one's hands full with (someone or something)

-  estar ocupado com algo
The woman has her hands full with her three children. 

have (someone's) blood on one's hands

- ser responsável pela morte de alguém. Mãos sujas de sangue
The driver has the bicycle rider's blood on his hands. 

have (someone) eating out of (the palm of) one's hand

- ter alguém disposto a fazer o que quiser, ele ou ela faça
The woman has her supervisor eating out of the palm of her hand. 

have (something) at one's fingertips

-para ter algo próximo e pronto para usar
I usually have a dictionary at my fingertips when I am reading a book. 

have (something) in one's hands

- ter controle de algo ou responsabilidade por algo, possuir algo
"When I have the documents in my hands, I will call you." 

have (something) on one's hands

- estar sobrecarregado com algo
I do not want to have the responsibility for the party on my hands. 

have the upper hand (on someone)

-ter uma posição superior ou mais vantajosa do que outra pessoa
My friend had the upper hand in our argument. 

have time on one's hands

- ter mito tempo livre
I have much time on my hands so I will read a book. 

heavy hand (of something)

- o grande poder que alguém ou algo tem sobre as pessoas
The heavy hand of the law is usually able to find people who commit a crime. 

high-handed

- desconsiderando outros sentimentos,
The employer took a high-handed approach to the negotiations and they were not successful. 

hold (someone's) hand

- ajudar
The manager had to hold the new employee's hand as the employee learned the new job. 

in good hands

- em boas mãos
The stolen purse was in good hands after the police found it. 

in hand

- sob controle
After several hours the riot police had the problems with the crowd in hand. 

in hand

- na posse de alguém 
The man arrived at the airport with much cash in hand. 

in safe hands

- em mãos seguras
The little girl is in safe hands now that she has arrived at her grandmother's house. 

iron fist in a velvet glove

- gentil com as pessoas de fora e rude com as pessoas próximas
The government committee used an iron fist in a velvet glove to get the information that they wanted. 

itchy/itching palm

- pessoas gananciosa
The police officer had an itching palm and received much money from criminals before he was arrested. 

keep one's finger's crossed

- desejar boa sorte
I will keep my fingers crossed that I get the new job that I applied for. 

keep one's finger on the pulse

- to be aware of recent changes or developments in a particular situation or activity
The manager keeps her finger on the pulse of the company and she knows everything. 

know (someone or something) like the back/palm of one's hand

- con hecer alguém muito bem
The taxi driver knows the city like the back of his hand. 

FIST

rule (someone) with an iron fist

- controle comleto
The leader of the small country rules the citizens with an iron fist. 

HANDS

a show of hands

- um voto para algo que é feito por pessoas levantando as mãos
The students voted by a show of hands to go to the park after school. 

show one's hand

- revelar as intenções
I tried hard not to show my hand during the meeting about my new job. 

sit on one's hands

- nada fazer para ajudar
Our supervisor sat on his hands and refused to help us with our problem. 

sit on their hands

- uma lateia que se recusa a aplaudir
The members of the audience sat on their hands after the performance by the singer. 

tie (someone's) hands

- prevenir alguém
The principal tied our hands and we were not able to start the project. 
Our hands were tied and we could do nothing about the problem. 

throw up one`s hands (in despair or frustration)

- admitir o fracasso e parar de fazer algo
I threw up my hands in frustration when I was unable to find the manager. 

try one`s hand at (something)

- tentar fazer algo incomum
I tried my hand at golf last summer but I did not like it. 

turn one's hand to (something)

- fazer algo diferente do usual
After we finished cleaning the kitchen we turned our hand to the other rooms. 

wash one`s hands of (someone or something)

- tlavar as mãos, recusar a responsabilidade sobre algum fato ou alguém
I want to wash my hands of the problems with the new secretary. 

win (something) hands down

-  ganhar facilmente
The new mayor won the election hands down. 

with hat in hand

- com humldade
The boy went to his father with hat in hand to ask for some money. 

with one hand tied behind one's back

- facilmente, mesmo estando em desantagem
The project was hard to manage because I had to operate with one hand tied behind my back. 

wring one's hands

- se preocupar e ficar chateado com algo e não ser capaz de fazer nada sobre isso
The woman stayed up most of the night wringing her hands while she waited for her son to come home. 

you've got to hand it to (someone)

- Alguém já fez algo bem (embora você não aprenda as coisas que ele ou ela fez)
"You've got to hand it to our friend. He is always able to raise enough money for his projects." 

Palm Idioms

know (someone or something) like the back/palm of one's hand

- tconhecer alguém muito bem
The taxi driver knows the city like the back of his hand. 

palm off (something) or palm (something) off

-  vender ou dar algo, fingindo que é mais valioso do que é
The man palmed off a television set that does not work. 

Thumb Idioms

rule of thumb

- uma regra clara
It is a rule of thumb in our company that senior managers get bigger offices. 

stick out like a sore thumb

- ser obvio
The man sticks out like a sore thumb when he wears his orange hat. 

thumb through (something)

- olhar rapidamente para algo
I thumbed through the garden catalogue at the store. 

thumbnail sketch

- uma pequena descrição de algo
The police made a thumbnail sketch of the bank robber. 

thumbs up on (someone or something)

- estar devendo um favor a alguém
I waited to hear if it would be thumbs up on our new policy at work. 

turn thumbs down on (something)

-desaprovar algo, rejeitar
The building committee turned thumbs down on our plans to change the office. 

twiddle one`s thumbs

- não fazer nada
The girl twiddled her thumbs all week and was not able to pass her exam. 

under one`s thumb

- tser obediente a alguem
The woman has her husband under her thumb. He has no freedom at all. 

Wrist Idioms

a slap on the wrist

- um leve castigo
The young man received a slap on the wrist for his crime.