Cack-handed
adj ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Clumsy; inept.
"Constance endeavoured to get eight little boys to dance also; but the little lads were to shy, what an old woman, speaking of her grandson, calls “too daffish and keck-handed to learn such aunty-praunty antics,” and all that Constance could get in the way of male support was to induce eight little lads to look on, bend their knees, and bow at intervals, whilst the maidens sang and danced."
- 2 Left-handed.
"A left-handed child would be held up to ridicule, and the hand tied to prevent its use. In some parts of England left-handers are called “cack-handed” […]"
- 3 Back-handed.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples""Didn't I tell you to be careful? You've gone and creased my book now!" "Sorry, Mary. You know how cack-handed I am." "Yes, Tom. You've proved it to me again!""
Etymology
From cag (“knob, stump”) + handed; cf. also cack (“excrement”).
Related phrases
More for "cack-handed"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.