upper hand | Idiomator

Meaning: (idiomatic)Advantageorcontrol.1855,Washington Irving,Guests from Gibbet Island:There was no refusing him, for he had gotthecompleteupper handof the community, and the peaceful burghers all stood in awe of him.1883,Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter 23, inTreasure Island:[C]uriosity began to getthe upper hand, and I determined I should have one look through the cabin window.1911,Joseph Conrad, chapter 1, inUnder Western Eyes:There it was Razumov who hadthe upper hand, in a composed sense of his own superiority.2003February 14, Christine Gorman, “Playing Chicken With Our Antibiotics”, inTime:And because they live everywhere and reproduce quickly, bacteria havethe upper hand.2020August 26, Andrew Mourant, “Reinforced against future flooding”, inRail, page61:"We've now protected the line from similar-sized flooding-events and bigger ones," he says. That's quite some claim for a line where floods have often hadthe upper handin the past 16 years, causing track bed and embankments to be rebuilt.; (obsolete)The place of honour accorded to a social superior when walking together; theright of wayin walking

Examples:

EN: Later one realizes he made a mess, but in the meantime, the generous impulse had the upper hand over his reason.
ES: Y luego se ha dado cuenta de que se había metido en un lío. Pero mientras, el impulso generoso ha prevalecido sobre la razón.
EN: Don't you care that an amateur has gotten the upper hand on you?
ES: "No querrás dejarte engañar por una como ésa."
EN: If you're not careful she'll get the upper hand of you, mark my words.
ES: Si no tienes más cuidado, será ella la que tome las riendas. Escucha mis palabras.
EN: The upper hand of me?
ES: ¿Tomar ella las riendas?
EN: There's only one way for a poor, defenseless woman to treat her husband... and that's to get the upper hand of him in the first five minutes and to rule him.
ES: Una mujer indefensa sólo puede tratar a su marido de una forma: Tomando el control en los primeros 5 minutos y gobernándole.
EN: Oh no, I've always liked my men to have the upper hand.
ES: Oh no, siempre me ha gustado que mis hombres tengan la sartén por el mango.
EN: And as for my coming here with all this on me at yours and the others' first sight of it, I had the upper hand.
ES: En cuanto a venir aquí con las joyas encima si usted y los suyos las veían, tenía las de ganar.
EN: I'm sorry, Herbert, but Larry has the upper hand.
ES: Lo siento, Herbert, pero él maneja las cartas.
EN: But the Old Nick got the upper hand of me and I done taken some turnips from Lov Bensey.
ES: Satanás se apoderó de mí y le cogí unos nabos a Lov Bensey.
EN: Well we had to have a confession and these egomaniacs are always so much more chatty when they feel they have the upper hand.
ES: Pero necesitábamos tener una confesión y a estos egomaníacos les encanta hablar cuando sienten que tienen la sartén por el mango.
EN: You see, I have the upper hand, I...
ES: ¡Tengo la sartén por el mango...!
EN: And in the end, the dummy got the upper hand entirely.
ES: Y al final, el muñeco se adueñó de la persona.
EN: You have the upper hand now, but watch it, my friend.
ES: Ahora tienes las de ganar, pero cuidado, amigo.
EN: 'You've licked him in two wars 'and you're still not sure you have the upper hand.
ES: Sabes que lo has derrotado en dos guerras. Y aun así no estás seguro de haberte impuesto a tu rival.
EN: Always keep the upper hand.
ES: Siempre controlando la situación.

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