a fine Italian hand

a fine Italian hand

1. The refined style of penmanship that replaced Gothic script in parts of Europe starting in the 17th century. I can't understand any of the old Gothic texts we're archiving. Thank goodness for the ones written in a fine Italian hand that I can actually read!
2. By extension, a skill in a distinct field. Jenna's brushstrokes are so beautiful, you wouldn't mistake her work for anyone else's. She should major in art because she truly has a fine Italian hand in that area. Alex may think he has a fine Italian hand as a spy, but I knew he planted the note because it smelled of his cologne!
See also: fine, hand
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • middlebrow
  • after the style of (someone or something)
  • come into fashion
  • put (one's) heart (and soul) into (something)
  • put heart into
  • king is dead, long live the king, the
  • did
  • table read