«عَظُمَتْ يَدُ فُلَانٍ»
That person has rendered a great favor.
The literal sense of «يَد» is a hand. In the intended reading the statement praises someone's benefaction, not the physical dimensions of a hand. The hand is an instrument by which help is given, so the cause is named for its result.
If a speaker were genuinely comparing people's hand sizes, the same wording could be literal. Context is therefore essential.
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Metonymy, Compound Figurative Expression and Mental Attribution
«عَظُمَتْ يَدُ فُلَانٍ»
That person has rendered a great favor.
The literal sense of «يَد» is a hand. In the intended reading the statement praises someone's benefaction, not the physical dimensions of a hand. The hand is an instrument by which help is given, so the cause is named for its result.
If a speaker were genuinely comparing people's hand sizes, the same wording could be literal. Context is therefore essential.