hand over hand

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hand over hand (not comparable)

1. (nautical) by passing the hands alternately one before or above the other, especially with rope
   • 1849, Herman Melville, “chapter 50”, in Redburn: His First Voyage. […], 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC:

     Max went up the rigging hand over hand, and brought his red head with a bump against the base of Harry’s back.

2. rapidly
   • 1824, Washington Irving, The Devil and Tom Walker:

     In this way he made money hand over hand; became a rich and mighty man, and exalted his cocked hat upon change.

   • 1890, William Dean Howells, A Hazard of New Fortunes, chapter 11:

     He was making money, hand over hand, then; and he never stopped speculating and improving till he'd scraped together three or four hundred thousand dollars

• (rapidly): hand over fist