What is the Origin of the Phrase ‘Hand in Glove’?

Hand in glove means in close cooperation.

This phrase is used to emphasize intimacy or close association between two parties.

This expression was first used as “hand and glove” and it was a metaphor for a close fit as the hand fits in the glove. Later, this version of the phrase got corrupted and turned to its current version “hand in glove”.

An example sentence would be —

“The police had suspected from the beginning that the bank manager was hand in glove with the robbers.”

It means that the police suspected that the bank manager was working in close association with the robbers.

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Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.