What does ‘have your hands full’ mean?
To “have your hands full” means to be very busy or preoccupied. A long-standing English idiom recorded from the 16th century.
Origin
- A long-standing English idiom recorded from the 16th century.
How to use it
- Standard, mild way to describe being overloaded.
- Example: With three kids, she has her hands full.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.