Phrase of the Week – ‘Hands Down’
“This is hands down the best cheese I’ve ever eaten.”
This oddly specific example of the phrase shows its use as a term to describe something that is ‘without question’.
The origin of ‘hands down’ comes from 19th century horseracing!
When a horse and jockey are coming to the finish line well ahead of the rest, the jockey would drop or relax his grip on the reins and go on to win the race.
Today, it’s used to describe statements that are without question, like eating really, really nice cheese.