Hand over Fist (Origin)

by Craig Shrives

What Is the Origin of the Saying "Hand over Fist"?

Making money hand over fist means to make a lot of money quickly. This term has a nautical history. It relates to the practice of climbing a rope hand over hand. This soon became known as hand over fist, with the fist being the hand gripping the rope. The term hand over fist soon evolved from making progress up a rope to making progress generally. Today, it relates only to financial gain.

Table of Contents

  • English Proverbs and Idioms Test
  • More Proverbs, Sayings, and Idioms
Hand over Fist (Origin)

Examples of Use:

  • He made money hand over fist with his successful investment strategy.
  • The company grew rapidly, earning profits hand over fist in the competitive market.
  • She was selling her handmade crafts hand over fist at the local market.
  • The team was scoring points hand over fist during the championship game.
  • Once the product was launched, it was selling hand over fist due to its high demand.

Previous and Next Sayings

English Proverbs and Idioms Test

More Proverbs, Sayings, and Idioms

Help Us Improve Grammar Monster

  • Do you disagree with something on this page?
  • Did you spot a typo?

Find Us Quicker!

  • When using a search engine (e.g., Google, Bing), you will find Grammar Monster quicker if you add #gm to your search term.