"know like the back of one's hand" meaning in English

See know like the back of one's hand in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: En-au-know like the back of one's hand.ogg [Australia] Forms: knows like the back of one's hand [present, singular, third-person], knowing like the back of one's hand [participle, present], knew like the back of one's hand [past], known like the back of one's hand [participle, past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|know<,,knew,known> like the back of one's hand}} know like the back of one's hand (third-person singular simple present knows like the back of one's hand, present participle knowing like the back of one's hand, simple past knew like the back of one's hand, past participle known like the back of one's hand)
  1. (transitive, simile) To be intimately knowledgeable about something. Tags: transitive Synonyms: know inside and out, know like a book, know like the palm of one's hand Related terms: give someone the back of one's hand Translations (be intimately knowledgeable about): 瞭如指掌 (Chinese Mandarin), 了如指掌 (liǎorúzhǐzhǎng) (Chinese Mandarin), kennen als z'n broekzak (Dutch), tuntea kuin omat taskunsa (Finnish), connaître comme sa poche (French), etwas kennen wie die eigene Westentasche (German), ismeri, mint a tenyerét (Hungarian), kjenne som sin egen bukselomme (Norwegian), znać jak własną kieszeń (Polish), conhecer como a palma da mão (Portuguese), познавати као свој длан [Cyrillic] (Serbo-Croatian), познавати као свој џеп [Cyrillic] (Serbo-Croatian), poznavati kao svoj dlan [Roman] (Serbo-Croatian), poznavati kao svoj džep [Roman] (Serbo-Croatian), conocer algo como la palma de su mano (Spanish), känna som sin egen ficka (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-know_like_the_back_of_one's_hand-en-verb-jLahGHss Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English similes, Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for know like the back of one's hand meaning in English (4.8kB)

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "knows like the back of one's hand",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knowing like the back of one's hand",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knew like the back of one's hand",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "known like the back of one's hand",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "know<,,knew,known> like the back of one's hand"
      },
      "expansion": "know like the back of one's hand (third-person singular simple present knows like the back of one's hand, present participle knowing like the back of one's hand, simple past knew like the back of one's hand, past participle known like the back of one's hand)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English similes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He knows the software like the back of his hand, and can often solve problems over the phone, without looking.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2024 April 27, Tim Bano, quoting Sanaz Toossi, “It's a play born of rage”, in FT Weekend, Life & Arts, page 15",
          "text": "“I know American audiences like the back of my hand,” she says, sitting in a dressing room in London at the end of a long day of rehearsals; […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To be intimately knowledgeable about something."
      ],
      "id": "en-know_like_the_back_of_one's_hand-en-verb-jLahGHss",
      "links": [
        [
          "knowledgeable",
          "knowledgeable"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "simile",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, simile) To be intimately knowledgeable about something."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "give someone the back of one's hand"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "know inside and out"
        },
        {
          "word": "know like a book"
        },
        {
          "word": "know like the palm of one's hand"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
          "word": "瞭如指掌"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "liǎorúzhǐzhǎng",
          "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
          "word": "了如指掌"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
          "word": "kennen als z'n broekzak"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
          "word": "tuntea kuin omat taskunsa"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
          "word": "connaître comme sa poche"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
          "word": "etwas kennen wie die eigene Westentasche"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
          "word": "ismeri, mint a tenyerét"
        },
        {
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian",
          "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
          "word": "kjenne som sin egen bukselomme"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
          "word": "znać jak własną kieszeń"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
          "word": "conhecer como a palma da mão"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "знать как свои́ пять па́льцев (znatʹ kak svoí pjatʹ pálʹcev, literally “to know like one's five fingers”)",
          "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
          "tags": [
            "Cyrillic"
          ],
          "word": "познавати као свој длан"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
          "tags": [
            "Cyrillic"
          ],
          "word": "познавати као свој џеп"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
          "tags": [
            "Roman"
          ],
          "word": "poznavati kao svoj dlan"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
          "tags": [
            "Roman"
          ],
          "word": "poznavati kao svoj džep"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
          "word": "conocer algo como la palma de su mano"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
          "word": "känna som sin egen ficka"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-know like the back of one's hand.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/80/En-au-know_like_the_back_of_one%27s_hand.ogg/En-au-know_like_the_back_of_one%27s_hand.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/En-au-know_like_the_back_of_one%27s_hand.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "know like the back of one's hand"
}
{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "knows like the back of one's hand",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knowing like the back of one's hand",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knew like the back of one's hand",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "known like the back of one's hand",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "know<,,knew,known> like the back of one's hand"
      },
      "expansion": "know like the back of one's hand (third-person singular simple present knows like the back of one's hand, present participle knowing like the back of one's hand, simple past knew like the back of one's hand, past participle known like the back of one's hand)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "give someone the back of one's hand"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English similes",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English transitive verbs",
        "English verbs",
        "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He knows the software like the back of his hand, and can often solve problems over the phone, without looking.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2024 April 27, Tim Bano, quoting Sanaz Toossi, “It's a play born of rage”, in FT Weekend, Life & Arts, page 15",
          "text": "“I know American audiences like the back of my hand,” she says, sitting in a dressing room in London at the end of a long day of rehearsals; […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To be intimately knowledgeable about something."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "knowledgeable",
          "knowledgeable"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "simile",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, simile) To be intimately knowledgeable about something."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-know like the back of one's hand.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/80/En-au-know_like_the_back_of_one%27s_hand.ogg/En-au-know_like_the_back_of_one%27s_hand.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/En-au-know_like_the_back_of_one%27s_hand.ogg",
      "tags": [
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      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "know inside and out"
    },
    {
      "word": "know like a book"
    },
    {
      "word": "know like the palm of one's hand"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
      "word": "瞭如指掌"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "liǎorúzhǐzhǎng",
      "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
      "word": "了如指掌"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
      "word": "kennen als z'n broekzak"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
      "word": "tuntea kuin omat taskunsa"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
      "word": "connaître comme sa poche"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
      "word": "etwas kennen wie die eigene Westentasche"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
      "word": "ismeri, mint a tenyerét"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
      "word": "kjenne som sin egen bukselomme"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
      "word": "znać jak własną kieszeń"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
      "word": "conhecer como a palma da mão"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "знать как свои́ пять па́льцев (znatʹ kak svoí pjatʹ pálʹcev, literally “to know like one's five fingers”)",
      "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
      "tags": [
        "Cyrillic"
      ],
      "word": "познавати као свој длан"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
      "tags": [
        "Cyrillic"
      ],
      "word": "познавати као свој џеп"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
      "tags": [
        "Roman"
      ],
      "word": "poznavati kao svoj dlan"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
      "tags": [
        "Roman"
      ],
      "word": "poznavati kao svoj džep"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
      "word": "conocer algo como la palma de su mano"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "be intimately knowledgeable about",
      "word": "känna som sin egen ficka"
    }
  ],
  "word": "know like the back of one's hand"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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