Word.ws English Dictionary

knew like the back of one's hand

knew like the back of one's hand is the simple past of know like the back of one's hand.

Meaning of know like the back of one's hand

Verb

know like the back of one's hand (third-person singular simple present knows like the back of one's hand, present participle knowing like the back of one's hand, simple past knew like the back of one's hand, past participle known like the back of one's hand)

  1. (transitive, simile) To be intimately knowledgeable about something.
    • He knows the software like the back of his hand, and can often solve problems over the phone, without looking.

Questions about knew like the back of one's hand

What is knew like the back of one's hand the simple past of?
Knew like the back of one's hand is the simple past of know like the back of one's hand.

Words near knew like the back of one's hand in the dictionary

  1. knew how many beans make five
  2. knew how to pick 'em
  3. knew how to walk before one could run
  4. knew if one was Arthur or Martha
  5. knew inside and out
  6. knew like the back of one's hand
  7. knew no bounds
  8. knew of
  9. knew on what side one's bread is buttered
  10. knew on what side one's bread was buttered
  11. knew one's arse from one's elbow

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: knew like the back of one's hand (page history and authors); know like the back of one's hand (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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