Hand over Hand
In the heyday of wooden sailing vessels, the speed and agility with which a sailor could climb aloft into the rigging was highly valued both as a technical skill and was a source of pride for the individual sailor. The nautical expression hand over hand originated with English sailors as a literal description of the technique used in climbing up or down a rope, or hauling in a sail or making a rapid ascent on ropes soon acquired the figurative meaning of continuous, rapid advancement. In 1813, Captain Frederick Marryat used the expression in his novel The Kingās Own, page 85: āThe frigate was within a mile of the lugger and coming up with him hand over hand.ā Noting that these climbing and hauling techniques involved a free hand passing oder the other fist in which the rope was clenched, it is thought that American sailors changed the expression to hand over fist.
