Underhanded

adj, adv, noun, verb

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Done by moving the hand (and arm) from below.

    "Golf is an underhanded game, because we must swing the club in an underhanded motion in order to play the ball off the ground."

  2. 2
    Sly, dishonest, corrupt, cheating.

    "His underhanded trick backfired and he was disqualified."

  3. 3
    Insincere; sarcastic.

    "An underhanded compliment is actually criticism."

  4. 4
    Secret; surreptitious.

    "And, although the mystery of an unsigned note rather thrilled her, it seemed underhanded. And June hated underhanded things."

  5. 5
    Understaffed.

    "Between 9.30, when the first shot was fired, and 11.45 a.m., the enemy, well aware of his vast superiority in men — the ' Intrepid,' being, as was usual with the Company's cruisers, underhanded — made two attempts to run her on board and throw an overpowering force on the brig's decks."

Adjective
  1. 1
    marked by deception wordnet
  2. 2
    with hand brought forward and up from below shoulder level wordnet
Adverb
  1. 1
    In an underhanded manner.

    "Bonino required each of us to shoot our free throws underhanded."

Noun
  1. 1
    Devious people, collectively. plural, plural-only

    "We have fallen to the underhanded and label it a greater means."

Verb
  1. 1
    simple past and past participle of underhand form-of, participle, past

Etymology

Etymology 1

From under- + handed.

Etymology 2

From under- + handed.

Etymology 3

From under- + handed.

Etymology 4

From underhand + -ed.

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