kings have long hands
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Do not quarrel with a king, as his power and authority reach to the end of his dominions. The Latin proverb is, An nescis longas regibus esse manus (Ovid), Heroides, 17, 166).
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 “kings have long hands” mean?
Do not quarrel with a king, as his power and authority reach to the end of his dominions. The Latin proverb is, An nescis longas regibus esse manus (Ovid), Heroides, 17, 166).
Is “kings have long hands” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.