in hand
prep_phrase7 senses
1
In physical possession; at one's disposal.
2
Held in the hand or hands.
- Pen in hand, I turned back to the letter I was writing.
- Grab a Wincheter in hand and take the land.
3
Obsolete In the presence of a particular person.
4
Under consideration; currently being dealt with or addressed.
- Observations that are foreign to the matter in hand
- 'What have they to do with the matter in hand - the murder on this train?'1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 6, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 119:
1 more example
- They form part of the vast electrification and reconstruction schemes which have been in hand for a number of years at Liverpool Street, and in suburban Essex, and include the rearrangement of tracks, of which the Ilford flyover forms part; the modern signal boxes, now needed only at key points; the electric control or sub-stations; and a large electric car shed.1951 January, R. A. H. Weight, “A Railway Recorder in Essex and Hertfordshire”, in Railway Magazine, page 44:
5
Under control.
- You need to get this situation in hand, and fast.
- At the other end […] the Sounders completed a run that had taken them from 15 points off the lead, to first place in the Supporters Shield standings with two games in hand.2013 September 16, The Guardian:
- Derived terms
- cap in hand, cash in hand, four-in-hand, hat in hand, three-in-hand