the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Different parts of an organization are not coordinating with each other
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Các bộ phận khác nhau của một tổ chức không phối hợp với nhau
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Literally: one hand being unaware of the other's actions
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing” mean?
Different parts of an organization are not coordinating with each other Literally: one hand being unaware of the other's actions
Is “the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.