Most often, when the proverb “hand washes” sounds, people have associations with the thieves' world. This is not surprising, because the people of this phrase also have a rhymed continuation - "the thief conceals the thief."
The origins
Of course, in the original, this expression did not have such a meaning, because it came to our language from Latin. “Manus manum lavat” - this is exactly what the proverb sounds in a dead solemn language. If you believe the story, the very first to say the phrase "hand washes" and introduced it into the use of Plato, although it is impossible to speak with confidence about the authorship of such an ancient statement.
The meaning of phraseology did not change at all, even with the passage of time, as not a single saying that came from Latin changed. For example, “homo homini lupus est” (man to man is a wolf) is used today in the same meaning as it was used hundreds of years ago. Apparently, this confirms the deep wisdom of Latin winged expressions, which does not need additions or new-fangled interpretations. But our people, of course, managed to misunderstand and use it in their own way.
About mutual assistance and friendship
If you try to parse the expression “hand washes” from the point of view of logic, then the analogy with life situations will be seen very clearly. For this, you can also resort to the help of black humor.
It’s hard to imagine how a one-armed person washes his only hand before eating, but the owners of two hands cope with this task easily and simply. The same thing happens in life - alone a person sometimes can’t achieve the desired result, and the help of a comrade who has arrived in time will always help him out. This suggests that social contacts and friendships are always useful and effective, and it is much more difficult for proud and independent people in this life to achieve their goal. To show by example how a hand washes a hand is very simple. A graduate of a not too prestigious university will try to find a good job in an unfamiliar city for a long and tedious period, and his search in the end may end in nothing. But a student who managed to make useful contacts during his studies will find a good place in two ways.
About illegal activities "by concepts"
However, the phraseologism “hand washes hand” was not in vain received the continuation of “thief thief covers”, and our distorted realities are to blame for this. Now, no one is ashamed to say that he earns a living in an entirely unfair way or prefers not to give money to his subordinates in order to buy a house in the capital or to relax again.
Of course, this “thieves'” sequel greatly distorts the original meaning of the proverb and vulgarizes it. People establish a strong association with something dishonest, dirty and illegal, but the original meaning of this expression is very noble. It is unlikely that it will be possible to imagine how the ancient sages with a thieving appearance open shabby diplomats, exchange money received for dubious activity and whisper to each other that the hand, however, washes the hand. True, this does not mean that at that time there was no theft and the desire to appropriate someone else's - just then they did not talk about it with pride or complacency.
The importance of etymology
It is amazing how many analogues in modern times the phraseologism “hand washes hand” has acquired. The meaning of this proverb can also be revealed with the help of other phrases, such as, for example, “the raven will not peck out the crow's eye” or “one is not a warrior in the field”. “Officially” the complete proverb looks like this: “A hand washes a hand, and both are white.” One of the established meanings of this phraseological unit is precisely that people can cover each other in dishonest deeds. However, this meaning can be found in the phraseological dictionaries of the Russian language, where for some reason the etymology of this phrase is not indicated and its initial meaning is not explained. It’s best to remember this interpretation of this phraseological unit: a difficult thing is best done together, then you can count on a positive result.