a poor hand
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
An unskilful one. "He is but a poor hand at it," i.e. he is not skilful at the work.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a poor hand” mean?
An unskilful one. "He is but a poor hand at it," i.e. he is not skilful at the work.
Is “a poor hand” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.