palms

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of palm.

   He held the small bird gently between his cupped palms.

   Coconut palms swayed along the shoreline as the wind picked up.

   Note

   One regular plural covers several unrelated things: the inner surface of the hand, the tropical tree, the leaf once carried as a sign of victory, and the awards a Scout earns after reaching Eagle rank. Only context tells them apart. Cupped palms are hands, and coconut palms are trees. The same spelling also serves as the present-tense verb, so check whether the word names something or does something.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of palm.

   The dealer palms a card whenever he thinks no one is watching.

   She palms the small key into her sleeve before the guards arrive.

   Note

   The -s form a conjurer's sentence needs: the dealer palms a card. Its commonest work is concealment, in sleight of hand or petty theft. It also covers holding something flat-handed, pushing it with the palm, and pressing a palm to a scanner to pass a checkpoint, a use that can stand without an object. The British slang meaning "bribes" is obsolete. You may meet it in older texts, but avoid it in your own writing.

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