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Listening to Shop Around by the Miracles, they say:

Before you ask some girl for her hand now

Well, I completely get the idea that ask hand, as in almost all the languages, means somehow be in love relationship, but my question is if it means say i love you or it means would you marry me?

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  • I have never heard of "ask hand" used in English. Do you have an example?
    – user3169
    Commented Sep 5, 2016 at 21:50
  • @user3169 yes, check this song
    – Marco Dinatsoli
    Commented Sep 5, 2016 at 21:51
  • There is no "ask hand" in the lyrics, just "ask some girl for her hand". I get what you meant, but you used "ask hand" in your explanation like that was the actual phrase used.
    – user3169
    Commented Sep 5, 2016 at 23:27

1 Answer 1

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"To ask a girl for her hand" means to ask her to marry you.

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  • Oh Okay thanks, I'd prefer to Shop Around B-)
    – Marco Dinatsoli
    Commented Sep 5, 2016 at 21:34
  • It could also be a request to dance.
    – Matthew Whited
    Commented Oct 27, 2016 at 17:54
  • though most often it is used in the context of a request for marriage.
    – Matthew Whited
    Commented Oct 27, 2016 at 17:55
  • (and, to be slightly more specific, it means to ask her to hold out her hand so the man can place an engagement ring on her finger)
    – TOOGAM
    Commented May 22, 2017 at 5:51
  • At one point it was traditional for a man to formally ask his fiancee's father for her hand in marriage. See for example artofmanliness.com/articles/…
    – arp
    Commented Oct 17, 2018 at 4:26

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