Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An economic principle, first postulated by Adam Smith, holding that the greatest benefit to a society is brought about by individuals acting freely in a competitive marketplace in the pursuit of their own self-interest.
Wiktionary
- n. economics A metaphor for the principle that in a free market, an individual pursuing his own self-interest also tends to promote the good of his community as a whole.
Etymologies
- Coined by Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations. Influenced by and echoing earlier use as "the hand of God". See Etymology citations (Wiktionary)
Examples
“He took a breath, but before he could squeeze the trigger, there came the pop and rip of automatic-weapons fire, and Andrew was batted down as if a huge, invisible hand had smashed him away.”
“In the height of his prosperity, the victorious monarch, who had chastised the rashness of Gallus, and suppressed the revolt of Sylvanus, who had taken the diadem from the head of Vetranio, and vanquished in the field the legions of Magnentius, received from an invisible hand a wound, which he could neither heal nor revenge; and the son of”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘invisible hand’.
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Public List: Body Metaphors
Phrases that use body parts metaphorically.
neck of the woods, bone of contention, mouth of a river, teeth of the storm, heart of the matter, foot of the bed, eye of the storm, dogleg hole, finger lakes, headwaters, foothills, knik arm and 212 more...
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My Little Phonies
Names for the next generation of My Little Ponies. Inspired by Star's list.
juggernaught, flamboyant, cuddly maggot, astrobleme, agroof, windburn, poshlost, crucifer, feedbag, dunderwhelp, nebelwerfer, bliss ninny and 453 more...
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phraseologue ⊃ the one-two punch
short (mostly two-word) collocations, pat phrases, idioms &c. that I like
merry chase, glancing blow, beast mode, feedback loop, false flag, dear god, nothing human, deflector shield, hatchet job, not cricket, bang on, a tinker's damn and 253 more...
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Economists do it with models
arbitrage, behaviour, capital, dromography, embargo, fiscal, globalisation, hyperinflation, incentive, j-curve, keynesian, labour and 143 more...
Tweets
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