Hello and welcome back to Daily English! Today’s word is “empty-handed.” One more time — empty-handed. Let’s see if you can guess what it means from these clues:
You spend the whole afternoon shopping for a birthday present, but nothing feels right. You come back home with no gift, no bag, nothing — just empty hands. Or imagine this: your friend travels all the way to France, hoping to buy a limited-edition perfume from a tiny boutique in Paris. She checks three different stores… and all of them are sold out. She messages you: “I searched everywhere, but I came back empty-handed.” So, what does “empty-handed” mean? It means you left a place without getting what you wanted or expected. You tried, but you didn’t succeed — and you got nothing.
💬 Examples: “I waited in line for concert tickets, but they sold out. I came home empty-handed.”
“She applied for five jobs last month, but was left empty-handed — not even one interview.”
They hunted all morning, but came back empty-handed. Not even a rabbit!”
Fun fact:The phrase “empty-handed” goes all the way back to hunting and survival. If a hunter returned without any food, it meant trouble — no meal that night!
Today, it’s still used when we don’t get what we hoped for — whether it’s gifts, opportunities, or prizes.
Have you ever gone somewhere with high hopes — and came back empty-handed?
What were you trying to find, buy, or achieve? Don’t forget, you can share your stories using the gmail address provided.