neat-handed, a.
[neat a.]
Having a neat or deft manner of handling things; dexterous.
| 1632 Milton L'Allegro 86 Their savory dinner..Which the neat-handed Phillis dresses. 1832 H. Martineau Homes Abroad i. 4 A neat-handed dairy-maid. 1845 Peter Parley's Ann. VI. 195 Bracelets for the neatest-handed of her nymphs. 1877 Mrs. Forrester Mignon. I. 5 Neat-handed Phillis and a coadjutor served tea and coffee. |
Hence neat-ˈhandedness.
| 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 218 The French with all their ingenuity and neat-handedness. 1865 Cornh. Mag. Nov. 533 The French doctor had praised her skill and neat-handedness. |