a fine Italian hand



a fine Italian hand

1. literal The refined style of penmanship that replaced Gothic script in parts of Europe starting in the 17th century. I can't understand any of the old Gothic texts we're archiving. Thank goodness for the ones written in a fine Italian hand that I can actually read!
2. figurative A skill in a distinct field. Jenna's brushstrokes are so beautiful, you wouldn't mistake her work for anyone else's. She should major in art because she truly has a fine Italian hand in that area. Alex may think he has a fine Italian hand as a spy, but I knew he planted the note because it smelled of his cologne!
See also: fine, hand

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Henrikahen-REE-kahSwedish
AhmoseAH-mos (English)Ancient Egyptian (Anglicized)
ŽIga-Slovene
Tine (2)-Slovene
Evgeniyayev-GYE-nee-yah (Russian), eev-GYE-nee-yah (Russian)Bulgarian, Russian
TheobaldTHEE-ə-bawld (English)English (Rare), Ancient Germanic