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Reader question: Please explain “right hand man” in this sentence: He is Rupert Murdoch’s right-hand man at News International. My comments: That means that at News International, he’s the No. 2, if you are into rankings. Seriously, being Murdoch’s right hand man means that he is the media mogul’s most helpful assistant, the most reliable and trusted one among all hired hands, i.e. employees. Above all, he’s Murdoch’s most able servant. He’s Murdoch’s chief lieutenant. Very important, indeed, indispensible. The right hand, you see, is the stronger hand of most of people, who are otherwise known as right-handed. Hence, to say he’s Murdoch’s right hand man is to suggest he’s someone whom the media mogul most relies upon. Without him, it would be as though the might Murdoch lost his right arm. Anyways, “right-hand man” is an age-old phrase in the English language, referring to one’s most able and trusted confident or assistant. Most secretaries, for example, can be described as the right-hand man (or woman) of their bosses, without whose work most bosses would be lost entirely. The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms dates the origin of the phrase at 1655-65, but some argue that the phrase came from the Christians Bible. For instance: “But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12 KJV). | 
