dead hand of the past(n = noun.attribute) dead hand, mortmain - the oppressive influence of past events or decisions;
is a kind of influence
at hand, big hand, black hand, bloody hand, bow hand, brain dead, bridge hand, by hand, cash in hand, close at hand, come to hand, dead, dead ahead, dead air, dead axle, dead body, dead center, dead centre, dead drop, dead duck, dead end, dead giveaway, dead hand, dead heat, dead language, dead letter, dead load, dead mail, dead march, dead metaphor, dead nettle, dead of night, dead on target, dead pan, dead person, dead reckoning, dead ringer, dead room, dead sea, dead sea scrolls, dead set, dead shot, dead soul, dead stop, dead tired, dead to, dead to the world, dead weight, drop dead, elder hand, eldest hand, field hand, free hand, give a hand, glad hand, go past, hand, hand and foot, hand and glove, hand ax, hand axe, hand blower, hand brake, hand by a hair, hand calculator, hand cheese, hand clapping, hand clasp, hand cream, hand down, hand drill, hand fern, hand glass, hand grenade, hand in, hand in glove, hand in hand, hand job, hand line, hand lotion, hand luggage, hand mirror, hand mower, hand on, hand organ, hand out, hand over, hand over fist, hand pump, hand puppet, hand saw, hand shovel, hand throttle, hand to hand, hand to mouth, hand tool, hand towel, hand truck, hand wear, have in hand, heavy hand, helping hand, hired hand, hour hand, in hand, iron hand, knock dead, left hand, lend a hand, little hand, living dead, lone hand, minute hand, note of hand, office of the dead, old hand, on hand, on one hand, on the one hand, on the other hand, out of hand, past, past due, past master, past participle, past perfect, past perfect tense, past progressive, past progressive tense, past tense, past times, poker hand, ranch hand, ready to hand, red hand defenders, right hand, right hand man, round hand, running hand, second hand, section hand, sleight of hand, stop dead, sweep hand, text hand, upper hand, whip hand, white dead nettle