What does "hands down" come from?

Question

I mean, if I say, America is my favorite country, hands down," Where did the phrase, "Hands down" come from?

Answer 1

"Hands down" is a term meaning "easily" or "with little or no effort." It's used most often in the context of a competition or comparison, as in the sentence "Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive is hands-down the most significant cultural event of the last decade." (Editors' Note: Sentence used for demonstration purposes only.)

We stumbled upon several wrong guesses, but just about all the etymological sites we came across agreed that the term dates back to the mid-19th century and the genteel world of British horse racing. Back then, a jockey who found himself way ahead as he approached the finish line would relax his grip on the reins and drop his hands. Not as confrontational as a spiked football, but still a bit of gestural in-your-face-ness. By the late 19th century, the idiom had been extended to non-racing contexts, and it remains in frequent use today.

Answer 2

There are a number of plausible explanations for the phrase hands-down, which means, as you note, either 'easy' (a hands-down victory) or 'unquestionable; certain' (the hands-down choice for the office) (or as an adverbial use of either of these, e.g. "He won hands-down").

The hands-down origin of the word, however, is from horse racing. A hands-down victory is one that is so assured that a jockey can drop his hands and relax his grip on the reins as he approaches the line.

The phrase is first found in the late nineteenth century. The two earliest examples are literal references to horse races, which makes pretty clear the notion that this is the origin.

Answer 3

when people used to vote yes or no, they would do so by 'a show of hands' and would count who's hand was up for the vote.

when a clear winner was decided (one hand up for no and 99 up for yes) they wouldn't bother counting and would say hands down, meaning there is no point in counting - there is a clear winner.

Answer 4

I would say its a poker phrase that means that once everyone lays down their cards the truth is undeniable about who won.

Answer 5

I think it just means "hands down" no one can try to valididate the claim. No objections, no doubt. etc.