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Reader question: Please explain "before hand", as in this sentence: The hotel says we must book our room before hand, at least one week in advance. My comments: As you can probably infer, before hand means in advance, before the actual event. You must book a room at the hotel one week early. Presumably the hotel is highly sought. If you don't book your room in advance, you may find the hotel sold out when you arrive at the front desk. Question is, what "hand" in "before hand"? There's no definitive answer. I cannot find a definitive one at any rate. However, I have a conjecture. I am not sure whether it's the answer but I think it at least makes a little sense. Let me explain. When we play poker, we often have to talk about rules, what's allowed and what's not, that kind of stuff before the hand is dealt. Yes, as you may guess, "hand" in "before hand" may originally refer to the hand you're dealt, i.e. the cards you have in your hand. As we know, different places have different rules and regulations regarding the poker game. Therefore, before play, we deliberate and come to an agreement as to what's allowed and what's not allowed. That's what before hand is about. BEFORE the HAND is dealt. You must set the rules and argue your points and voice your objections before the hand is dealt, i.e. before the cards are passed out. Once the hand is dealt, you cannot ask for rule changes any more. | 
