Hand over and hand out

[chileno]

Do "hand over" and "hand out" mean the same?

Thank you.

[pjt33]

No. "Hand over" puede tener connotaciones de entregar (a veces contra su voluntad - "Hand over the money and no-one gets hurt!") o de transferir el control de una empresa o un gobierno; "hand out" es repartir o distribuir - "Fred makes 3€ an hour handing out leaflets"; "The teacher went around the room collecting the homework and handing out test papers".

[Rusty]

The action is towards the speaker with 'hand over'. 'Give me' is its equivalent.
The action is away from the speaker with 'hand out'. 'Pass to others' is its equivalent.

There are other meanings. But I can't think of a time when they mean the same thing.

[chileno]

Thank you for answering. I have in my mind that those two words would mean "limosna"/ meager offering... Am I ok, or is it my mind playing tricks with me?

[pjt33]

A handout can be limosna.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by pjt33

A handout can be limosna.

Then a hand over is just a tranfer...

thank you both.

[Rusty]

A handover (one word for the noun) is a relinquishing (or a transfer).
A handout (one word for the noun) is a portion of food or money given to a beggar.

[pjt33]

Originally Posted by Rusty

A handout (one word for the noun) is a portion of food or money given to a beggar.

It's a bit more general than that, at least in en-gb. The context in which I hear it most is "handouts from the state", but I suspect that en-us doesn't have much precise vocabulary for the functioning of a socialist welfare state.

[María José]

Another word of the same family : Hand-me-downs. You would use it to refer to the clothes you get from your older siblings, cousins...

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by pjt33

... The context in which I hear it most is "handouts from the state", but I suspect that en-us doesn't have much precise vocabulary for the functioning of a socialist welfare state.

Handouts means the same in AmE.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Rusty

A handover (one word for the noun) is a relinquishing (or a transfer).
A handout (one word for the noun) is a portion of food or money given to a beggar.

oops I put a space in between.

Thank you.