Mano is one of the first nouns you no doubt learnt on your Spanish language adventure, and you probably got the gender wrong initially as although it ends in an ‘o’ it’s a feminine word (la mano). 

According to Spain’s language academy (RAE), mano has more than 300 uses in the Spanish language, but the most interesting of all are the idioms which form part of daily speech.  

Some hand-related expressions are almost exactly the same as in English, whereas others are very descriptive and unique. Let’s have a look!

Echar una mano: This is perhaps the most common idiom with the Spanish word for hand. If you ‘throw a hand’ it means that you help out or give someone a hand.

Example:

¡Anda! Échame una mano y no te quedes ahí sentado.

Go on! Don’t just sit there, give me a hand.

Ponerse manos a la obra: ‘To get hands to work’ basically means to get down to work. You can also exclaim ¡Manos a la obra! as an incentive or order, a bit like ‘all hands on deck’ in English.

Example:

¡Manos a la obra, niños! Hay que recoger todo.

All hands on deck, kids! We have to clear everything up.

Mano de santo: If someone or something has ‘saint’s hand’, they are a miracle worker or it works wonders. 

Example:

Mi abuela hace un potaje que es mano de santo para las resacas.

My grandmother makes a stew that works wonders for hangovers.

Pillar a alguien con las manos en la masa: ‘To catch someone with their hands in the dough’ is what Spaniards say for catching someone red-handed. 

Example:

Han pillado al ladrón con las manos en la masa. 

They’ve caught the thief red-handed. 

Tener las manos largas: Thieves tend to have ‘long hands’, as this expression is used to describe someone who has a proclivity to steal or hit.

Example:

Mucho ojo con ese jóven porque tiene las manos muy largas. 

Keep an eye on that youngster because he’s a bit of a thief.

Manitas: Someone who is a ‘little hands’ is either very handy or able with their hands, or they actually work as a handyman. 

Example:

No hace falta que llames al fontanero, Lucas es bastante manitas. 

No need to call the plumber, Lucas is quite handy.

Manazas: If you have ‘big hands’ however, it means that you’re clumsy.

Example:

¿Se te cayó el vaso de agua? Eres un poco manazas, ¿eh?

You dropped the glass of water? You’re a bit of butterfingers, right?

Ser la mano derecha de alguien: Just like in English, being someone’s right-hand man means you’re their first port of call or main supporter/helper.

Example:

José Mourinho era la mano derecha de Bobby Robson en el Barça.

José Mourinho was Bobby Robson’s right-hand man at Barça.

Poner la mano en el fuego por alguien: If you ‘put the hand over the fire for someone’ it means that you completely trust them and are willing to vouch for them. 

Example:

Yo pongo la mano en el fuego por María, es de fiar. 

I’m willing to vouch for María. She’s trustworthy.

Estar con una mano delante y otra detrás: When you ‘have one hand in front and the other behind’, it basically means that you’re broke, you have no money. 

Example:

Es que no llego a fin de mes. Estoy con una mano delante y otra detrás.

I’m struggling to make ends meet. I’m skint. 

Irse de las manos: Similar to how it is in English, this expression is used when situations get out of hand, or out of control. There’s also the similar expression írsele a alguien la mano con algo, which applies when someone has gone too far with something. 

Example:

A la señora del Ecce Homo se le fue la mano con la restauración del fresco. 

The Ecce Homo lady went too far with the fresco restoration. 

Lavarse las manos: This means to watch your hands of something/someone, in both the figurative and literal sense.

Example:

Yo me lavo las manos de él. Juan es un bala perdida.

I wash my hands of him. Juan is a loose cannon. 

Conocer algo como la palma de la mano: Whereas in English saying that you know someone/something like the back of your hand to indicate that you couldn’t know it/them better, in Spanish it’s the palm of the hand that’s used in the expression. 

Example:

Conozco cómo funciona Hacienda como la palma de mi mano. 

I know how Spain’s tax agency works like the back of my hand.

Traerse algo entre manos: This expression means that someone is busy working or scheming something.

Example:

Este se trae algo entre manos. Últimamente no da señales de vida.

He’s scheming something. He’s dropped off the map recently.

Estar en buenas manos: Just like in English, this means to be in good hands, in the right company and care of someone.

Example:

No te preocupes por tu gatita, estará en buenas manos mientras te vas de vacaciones.

Don’t worry about your kitten, she’ll be in good hands while you go on holiday.