Skip to main content
Dictionary
Store
Blog
World
Help
Advertise
Chat
System Status
Information Collection Notice
Trademark Concerns
reCAPTCHA Privacy
Terms of Service
reCAPTCHA Terms
Privacy Policy
Accessibility
Report a Bug
Data Request
Contact Us
Security
DMCA
© 1999–2026 Urban Dictionary ®
Mugs
Tees
Hoodies
Pro Customization
Create unique products with your own words and definitions
Preview
Personalize Your Design
Your Word
Your Definition
mano a mano; mano mano; man mano As far as Italians are concerned these expressions (freely exchangeable) have only one use and meaning, the origin of which - most likely - has to do with the way in old times people used to measure short distances by using an open hand. You put a hand widely open beside another end moving on as you take measures. From this habit in old times may have arisen the idea of following an event - shal we say - "step-by-step" (if you're measuring long distances) ... or similarly "hand-by-hand" (if you're measuring, say, a cloth or a stick of wood, etc.). By extension, every time an Italian wants to mean following something very closely and at every new event uses this expression. I mark on the wall my child's height as (mano a mano) he grows.
Text fits
Save
Cancel