Idiom query: "make a fist of it"

[randy_byers]

So what does "make a fist of it" mean? I see this idiom in British English.

Comments

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

Roughly speaking "to make a half-decent attempt at it", although I've usually seen it slightly expanded as "make a good fist of it" or variants.

Example: "Fred had never put together a convention programme before but overall he made a pretty good fist of it."

I have no idea of the etymology.

[dougs.livejournal.com]

What he said, but I always thought that there was always an additional implication that the attempt was made despite trying circumstances or inadequate resources -- such as Fred's inexperience in the example provided.

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

Thanks, guys. I guess leaving out the "good" is why I wasn't finding much via Google.

[del-c.livejournal.com]

This query turns up "good", "surprisingly good", "better", "decent", "pretty decent", "fair", "reasonable", "brave", and "brilliant".

Notice it's one of those idioms that only works one way: you can't, apparently, make a bad, appallingly bad or pathetic fist of a job.

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

I wondered about that. Maybe we should start a movement. The Making a Shitty Fist of It Movement. Er ...

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

But you can do a ham-fisted job of something.

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

Make a ham-fist of it?

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

I don't think so. You can be ham-fisted, which is a certain variant of clumsy pertaining to your intentions as to craftmanship not being backed up by your lack of skill or manual coordination.

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

Nevertheless, I think I made a ham-fist of my play on words.

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

I've never heard that phrase with "good" part of it.

[dalmeny]

I have often heard the variant "decent fist".

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

It's interesting to me that the idiom seems to run along the lines of "doing the best one can under the circumstances." It's a decent effort, all things considered. Not amazing, not great, but good enough.

[del-c.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's so much about the circumstances as about the inexperience of the doer, or his (it's usually "his") not being big enough for the job. You didn't think he'd do as well as he did, and you're complimenting him for having had the guts to step up and try. The image I get is of a boy getting ready to fight for something, advancing and curling his hand into a fist.

It's a very British concept, because you're expressing admiration for a brave loser.