# upper hand

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. Advantage or control.
2. The place of honour accorded to a social superior when walking together; the right of way in walking

## Etymology
From Middle English over hond, from Old English ofer- + hand (superior control; superior position). Not, as supposed, from a card game or counting-out game.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/upper-hand