hands down
Meaning
Easily and without doubt; by a clear margin.
Origin
From horse racing: a jockey who is far ahead can relax and even lower their hands (stop vigorous rein use), signaling an easy win; later generalized to any clear, effortless victory or choice.
Notes
Often used for emphatic comparisons (“hands down, the best”) or clear wins. Informal/neutral; can sound like a strong, subjective claim if not backed up.
Examples
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She was the best candidate, hands down.
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That was, hands down, the funniest movie I've seen all year.
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Our team played poorly, and they won hands down.
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Hands down, this is the easiest way to solve the problem.
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He’s hands down my favorite teacher.
Grammar & Usage Notes
Commonly used as an adverbial phrase: “won hands down,” “is hands down the best.” Usually set off by commas at sentence start (“Hands down, …”). Fixed form; rarely inflected.
Synonyms
- easily
- effortlessly
- by far
- without question
- undoubtedly
Antonyms
- by a hair
- narrowly
- barely