Learn English – Expression “to arrive at a place with your hands hanging”

expressionsidioms

In Spanish language there is an expression "llegar con las manos colgando", that can be literally translated to something like:

If you are invited to a friend's party or social gathering, you need to
bring some food or drinks, you can't just show up "with your hands hanging"
(from your arms).

This is to express that if you are not holding anything in your hands when your host greets you, then you are empty handed, so your hands are just hanging from your arms, which can be considered bad manners.

Is there an equivalent expression in English, other than the generic being "empty-handed"?

Best Answer

In A Dictionary of Hiberno-English: The Irish Use of English by Terence Patrick Dolan there is the entry: arm. Here we can read: "He came home with one arm as long as the other (i.e., without any kind of present ...)".

Also, on urbandictionary.com we can read:

One arm as long as the other
Basically turning up somewhere with nothing to give when something is expected. i.e coming to a party empty handed. Irish in origin

Jim: "Dave arrived in late to the wedding yesterday, the clown"
John: "Typical. Did he bring a pressie"
Jim: "Not at all, arrived in with one arm as long as the other [emphasis added]"

So, Spanish expression "llegar con las manos colgando" seems perfectly equivalent to English "one arm as long as the other".

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