Meaning
In Patois, 'hand' means the whole arm — from shoulder to fingertips — not just the part below the wrist. 'Mi hand a hurt mi' can mean anywhere along the arm. It appears in expressions like 'gi mi a hand' (help me) and 'long hand' (a thief who steals). A key point for learners, matching 'foot' for the whole leg.
Examples
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Mi hand a hurt mi from di shoulder.
My arm hurts me from the shoulder.
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Gi mi a hand wid dis, nuh.
Give me a hand with this, won't you.
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Watch him, him have long hand.
Watch him, he's light-fingered (a thief).
Origin
From 'hand', broadened in Patois (as with 'foot' for the whole leg) to mean the entire arm.
How it’s used
'Hand' = the whole ARM in Patois. Parallels 'foot' = whole leg. 'Long hand' = a thief. See [[foot]], [[teef]].