taut hand

noun

An officer who is severe in discipline.

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Meanings

nountaut hand (plural taut hands)

plural taut hands

  1. datednauticalAn officer who is severe in discipline.

    "[…]I'm no Tartar nor a slavedriver. But I am a taut hand, and a taut ship where every man jack works clearly for me, our ship, his mates, and our Fleet is a happy ship.[…]"

    1993, Dewey Lambdin, The Gun Ketch
  2. datednauticalStrict discipline.

    "Twas the first time I did that part of the duty in command, and I felt, in the circumstances, I was in for carrying it out with a taut hand."

    1879, George Cupples, The Green Hand: Adventures of a Naval Lieutenant
Cite this entry
APA

taut hand. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taut%20hand

MLA

“taut hand.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taut%20hand. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “taut hand,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taut%20hand.

Source: taut hand on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.