safe pair of hands
noun phrase
British
: someone who can be trusted with responsibility or a job
The next leader of the party should be a safe pair of hands.
Examples of safe pair of hands in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Maignan’s ability to be a net positive in terms of keeping the ball out of his goal, over the equivalent of more than 250 league appearances for Lille and Milan, marks him out as a safe pair of hands.
—
Liam Twomey, New York Times, 11 June 2025
With no standout options to replace him, the federation went for a safe pair of hands.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Moyes is a safe pair of hands who coached the club successfully for 11 years previously.
—Phil Hay, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
He was seen as a capable politician and a safe pair of hands, one of the strongest members of Zelensky’s cabinet.
—Alex Stambaugh, CNN, 4 Sep. 2024
While the Conservatives have traditionally been seen as a safe pair of hands, their reputation was rocked by the revelation that multiple parties were thrown inside Downing Street at a time when Johnson had placed the U.K. population under stringent COVID-19 lockdowns and social distancing rules.
—Phil Boucher, Peoplemag, 5 July 2024
Singh was regarded as a safe pair of hands and was expected by many in the industry to oversee Sony’s next growth steps in the country.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 June 2024
In a country where impeachments are not uncommon, this was an important gesture: should Congress find Lula too radical, his backup looks to be a safe pair of hands.
—Oliver Stuenkel, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2022
What Mattarella needed was essentially a safe pair of hands to reassure markets until Italy could hold another vote.
—Erik Jones, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2018
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Liam Twomey, New York Times, 11 June 2025
With no standout options to replace him, the federation went for a safe pair of hands.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Moyes is a safe pair of hands who coached the club successfully for 11 years previously.
—Phil Hay, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
He was seen as a capable politician and a safe pair of hands, one of the strongest members of Zelensky’s cabinet.
—Alex Stambaugh, CNN, 4 Sep. 2024
While the Conservatives have traditionally been seen as a safe pair of hands, their reputation was rocked by the revelation that multiple parties were thrown inside Downing Street at a time when Johnson had placed the U.K. population under stringent COVID-19 lockdowns and social distancing rules.
—Phil Boucher, Peoplemag, 5 July 2024
Singh was regarded as a safe pair of hands and was expected by many in the industry to oversee Sony’s next growth steps in the country.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 June 2024
In a country where impeachments are not uncommon, this was an important gesture: should Congress find Lula too radical, his backup looks to be a safe pair of hands.
—Oliver Stuenkel, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2022
What Mattarella needed was essentially a safe pair of hands to reassure markets until Italy could hold another vote.
—Erik Jones, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2018
Cite this Entry
“Safe pair of hands.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/safe%20pair%20of%20hands. Accessed 10 Aug. 2025.
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