old hands
Those who know
Old hands are people with long experience in a particular field, activity, or organization.
The term draws on the metaphor of hands as workers—someone who has been doing something so long their hands know the work instinctively.
The old hands showed the new recruits how things really worked around here.
It carries connotations of practical wisdom gained through years of direct involvement rather than formal training.
- veteransFormer armed forces members
- experiencedHaving practical knowledge gained
- warhorseSeasoned campaigner or mount
- mainstaysPrincipal supporting elements
- seasonedFlavored or battle-tested
been around the block · skilled · institutional memory · adept · expert · knowledgeable · longtime · weathered · long in the tooth · accomplished · pro · master · savvy · fixtures · creases · mentor · stalwart · know-how
- seniorssenior citizens, senior, elderly, aged, retiree
old handsrookies
Inexperienced beginners in profession
newcomers · novices · beginners · greenhorns · newbies
old handsamateurs
Nonprofessional participants
dilettantes · dabblers · bunglers · incompetents · naifs
old, hand, handle, handy, hands, older, handful, oldest, handled