the upper hand

Etymology

• Possibly an allusion to card games such as poker in which hands are the sets of cards held by players.

Noun

the upper hand (uncountable)

1. (idiomatic) Advantage or control.
   • 1855, Washington Irving, "Guests from Gibbet Island":

     There was no refusing him, for he had got the complete upper hand of the community, and the peaceful burghers all stood in awe of him.

   • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter 23, in Treasure Island:

     [C]uriosity began to get the upper hand, and I determined I should have one look through the cabin window.

   • 1911, Joseph Conrad, chapter 1, in Under Western Eyes:

     There it was Razumov who had the upper hand, in a composed sense of his own superiority.

   • 2003, Christine Gorman, "Playing Chicken With Our Antibiotics," Time, 14 Feb.:

     And because they live everywhere and reproduce quickly, bacteria have the upper hand.