The expression “a fine Italian hand” is used to mean characteristic or individual style, and it may be in a favorable sense or an unfavorable one.
Thus we may say that we see a certain artist’s “fine Italian hand” in a piece of work, intending thereby to say that we are able to detect his handiwork by some characteristic feature.
Or we may also detect the “fine Italian hand” of a politician who, secretly, is up to some sculduggery. But this is merely an example of how meanings are altered when the source of a phrase has been forgotten.
The “Italian hand” referred to is the handwriting that was introduced into England from Italy some three hundred years ago which was “fine” in comparison with the heavy Gothic or Old English (or “black letter”) handwriting of the preceding centuries.
Germany was among the last of the nations to adopt the “Roman” type in printing and “Italian” handwriting, but we in America have never known any other style, except as we see it in old manuscripts or books.
Related Posts
-
Where does the expression “hand-in-glove” come from and What does hand in glove mean?
Originally, about three hundred years ago, those using the metaphor hand-in-glove worded it hand and glove, that is, being on terms of intimate relationship comparable to that of one's hand and the glove…
-
Where does the term four-in-hand come from and What does four in hand mean?
Today most of us think of the term four-in-hand only as a necktie, to be tied in its own special loop. But the horsemen among us may have another notion. To them it…
-
Why Does Mars Appear Red and and What Is the Fine Dust On the Surface of the Planet Mars Made Of?
The surface of Mars is covered in a fine dust that is rich in iron oxide, also known as rust. There are massive winds on the planet that create dust storms, and so…
-
Why did Judge Roy Bean of Langtry Texas fine a corpse $40 for carrying a concealed weapon?
Judge Roy Bean liked to call himself "the law west of the Pecos." He presided over his jurisdiction from his combination court and barroom in Langtry, Texas. An article in Smithsonian Magazine characterized…
-
How do art experts decide whether a fine painting is a forgery or an original?
In 1947 Hans Van Meegeren, Dutch artist and master forger, was brought to trial for having sold a national treasure, a Vermeer painting, to Nazi chief Hermann Goering. Van Meegeren was thrown into…
-
Where does the phrase “hand over fist” come from and What does it mean?
At first, the phrase "hand over fist" was a nautical expression with a very lateral meaning , advancing the hands alternately, as in climbing a rope, hoisting a sail, or the like. Then,…
