English

Noun

the upper hand ‎(uncountable)

1. (idiomatic) Advantage or control.
   • 1855, Washington Irving, "Guests from Gibbet Island":

     There was no refusing him, for he had got the complete upper hand of the community, and the peaceful burghers all stood in awe of him.

   • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, ch. 23:

     [C]uriosity began to get the upper hand, and I determined I should have one look through the cabin window.

   • 1911, Joseph Conrad, Under Western Eyes, ch. 1:

     There it was Razumov who had the upper hand, in a composed sense of his own superiority.

   • 2003, Christine Gorman, "Playing Chicken With Our Antibiotics," Time, 14 Feb.:

     And because they live everywhere and reproduce quickly, bacteria have the upper hand.

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