hand waving
Discussion or argumentation involving approximation, vagueness, educated guessing, or the attempt to explain or excuse vagaries.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“His answer was just hand waving, not real proof.”
“The politician's speech was full of hand waving, with no clear plan to fix the economy.”
“When pressed for details, the scientist admitted his calculations contained a certain amount of hand waving, as the data was still incomplete.”
- 01
back of one's hand
A display of disrespect or scorn.
- 02
bear a hand
To make haste; to help quickly.
- 03
big hand
Synonym of minute hand (on a clock face).
- 04
bite someone's hand off
To enthusiastically accept an offer.
- 05
bite the hand that feeds one
To cause harm to a benefactor (especially one that one is dependent on, thus with the idea that this behaviour is self-damaging).
- 06
cap in hand
In a humble and respectful manner.
- 07
cold hand
Used in reference to a player who fails to make successful shots in a game.
- 08
deal a bad hand
To assign unfavorable circumstances in life to someone.
Last updated August 10, 2026