Lily-handed
adj ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Characterised by a delicate and pale-skinned beauty.
"For the sake of these "lily-handed maidens so daintily occupied," to use the editor's words, and for their sakes alone, has he waded through so many pages of dense technicalities from Actinococcus to Wormskioldia."
- 2 Having hands that are white due to lack of outdoor work; Unaccustomed to physical labor.
"“Let me see your passport,” said old Bill, “I mean your hand.” He was looking for the marks of toil. Alas, sometimes for a lily-handed parson!"
- 3 Fastidious and foppish.
"In fact he was a shallow-brained, lily-handed fop, and, as may be supposed, a great favorite with a certain class of ladies who mistake impertinence for wit, and fine clothes and affected manners for refinement and solid accomplishments."
Example
More examples"For the sake of these "lily-handed maidens so daintily occupied," to use the editor's words, and for their sakes alone, has he waded through so many pages of dense technicalities from Actinococcus to Wormskioldia."
Etymology
From lily + handed, from the white color and delicacy of a lily.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.