put one's hands on

English

Verb

put one's hands on (third-person singular simple present puts one's hands on, present participle putting one's hands on, simple past and past participle put one's hands on)

To assault.
- 2008, E.N. Joy, Me, Myself and Him:
  I can't believe I put my hands on him like that. I feel awful for hitting him.
- 2009, Michele E. Davis, On My Way to Heaven, page 59:
  He never physically put his hands on me though he threatened many times.
- 2012, Daaimah S. Poole, Ex-girl To The Next Girl, page 62:
  No, I did not put my hands on your child.
To interfere with.
- 2006, Rha Goddess, Low, page 92:
  You not supposed to put your hands on my stuff either You racist bitch!
- 2010, J. D. Mason, Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It: A Novel, page 84:
  “How dare you put your hands on my things!” she screamed and growled, slapping and scratching at his face, pulling viciously on the collar of his shirt.
- 2012, Cam Rascoe, Hennry Horrowitz Presents:Harlots Hustlers & Heroines, page 180:
  Well Sergio belongs to me; since you had the balls to put your hands on my property I figured they had to be pretty big.”
To obtain or find.
- 2006, William W. Johnstone, Invasion Usa: Border War:
  If he doesn't already own some helicopters, he's bound to be able to put his hands on some.”
- 2007, Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader, March 2007, page 48:
  Any ideas where I can put my hands on some new shoes for the front and rear?
- 2011, Orhan Pamuk, Istanbul, page 353:
  I would give a great deal if I could put my hands on some of those paintings (now lost) I did at home between the ages of sixteen and seventeen, depictions of “family happiness” in what we might call the Tolstoyan sense of the phrase.
- 2019, Jeanne Charters, Yellow:
  He had to put his hands on some money— and soon.
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see put,‎ hands.
- 2008, Zack Highstreet, A Plague on Both Houses, page 215:
  He put his hands on both sides of the wall.