Meaning & Analysis
An archaic expression meaning a man is brave, skilled, and effective in combat or other physical activities. The word 'tall' in this context means valiant or capable, not physically high.
Insights
Prowess and Capability
Symbolizes exceptional competence and effectiveness in any practical endeavor. 'Hands' represent action and skill, celebrating individuals who are doers rather than just thinkers or talkers.
Embodied Virtue
Represents a character whose worth is proven through tangible, physical actions. 'Tall' implies a stature of respect earned through courage and prowess, making virtue a matter of demonstrated ability.
Masculine Ideal
Reflects a cultural ideal where a man's value is measured by his physical courage, self-reliance, and martial skill. It champions a form of rugged, active masculinity.
Archaic Semantics
The proverb's meaning hinges on the obsolete definition of 'tall' as 'brave' or 'able,' a sense common in medieval and Renaissance English, as seen in Malory and Shakespeare. Its interpretation is a window into linguistic evolution.
Chivalric and Martial Values
Originating in a period when martial prowess was a primary virtue, the proverb encapsulates the values of a chivalric or feudal society, where a man's ability to fight defined his honor and status.
Psychology of Competence
The phrase reveals a psychological link between physical capability and perceived status. It reflects a human tendency to admire and elevate those who demonstrate mastery and effectiveness in the physical world.
Rhetorical Devices
Idiom
The entire phrase is an archaic idiom whose meaning is non-literal and culturally specific to a bygone era.
Synecdoche
The word 'hands' stands in for a person's complete range of physical skills, actions, and fighting ability, concisely representing their capacity for action.
Metaphorical Adjective
'Tall' is used metaphorically to denote excellence and high standing in skill, rather than physical height, elevating the person's reputation.
Transcription
Quotations
He is a passyng good man of his handes.
I tell you he is a man of his hands.
They were neuer tall fellows of their hands that were such hacksters in the street.
Is he valiant, and a talle man of his hands?
A verie tall man both of his hands and person.
There was not one thought to bee more readie in toung, or taller of his hands.
Readie or nimblehanded, working with his hands, a tall man of his hands.
Bill's a tall fellow on's hands, and will quickly be wood.
As for my selfe, quoth he, swift I am not of foot, nor yet a tall man of my hands.
Az tall a man on his hands, as goes on veet.
Stout and valiant of his hands.
A tall man of's hands, He will not let a beast rest in's pocket.
Shakespeare Citations
The worst that they can say of me is . . . that I am a proper fellow of my hands.
He's as tall a man as any's in Illyria.
I'll swear to the Prince thou art a tall fellow of thy hands.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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