Back of my hand

As the trend seems to be the dissection of language, does anyone know the origin/meaning of the saying "You'll feel the back of my hand"?

Or if not the origins what image it conveys? To me I always assumed a clip round the ear or a slap round the head with the back (not the palm) of the hand, but recently I've had reason to think otherwise ...

The picture I envision is seeing someone slapping a face with the back of the hand (Not palm) ...... which is what I am assuming that phrase means. If you don't stop (whatever) ...... you're going to get slapped!!! LOL!

I think some use the term when referring to a spanking however........

Katie B

I'm with Katie, a backhander means to me a backhanded slap across the face, although Madonna does use the lyric the back of your hand somewhere on my behind in Hanky Panky.

So when someone threatened me yesterday with "if you don't do X you'll feel the back of my hand" it was most likely a slap across the face? How terribly disappointing

Thanks chaps.

It must have been a northerner! As in "Tha'll get tha back o ma hand lass if ma dinners not on't table when I come 'ome from mill".

I have no idea of the origin but I have always associated the phrase with spanking. I back handed strike to the face would be thought of as a 'Bitch Slap' over here in the present day. Maybe we need TheEnglishMaster to assign us some more homework.

I plead 'Merlot' for the grammatical/spelling error in the post above. Proof Read, Proof Read, Proof Read.

It was someone from oop north!


I best take the wine away from you twisted8, you can have it back later (if there's any left)

Oops. Sorry Gabbs but your right. Too late.

Nah then, blimp me ole mate, am reet glad Ah fon this post. Born, bred and buttered in Yorkshire, if I think Ah'v lost sum o' me accent all it teks is a phone call 'ome to me Mum or our lad or one o' me owd mates an it cums reet back. When me lads were nobut young úns Ah'd put 'em to sleep by singing Ilkla Moor Baht 'at. One day t'eldest sang it at school an' came 'ome wi a note from his Kindergarten teacher askin' what language he was singin' in. I went and explained it all to her and she thowt it were "reet grand". Any funny bizniss from her mind ye and she'll likely feel back o me hand.