2. Situated so that the left side of the body is toward it; as, the left side of a deliberative meeting is that to the left of the presiding officer; the left wing of an army is that to the left of the center to one facing an enemy. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

Left bank of a river, that which is on the left hand of a person whose face is turned downstream. --
Left bower. See under 2d Bower. --
Left center, the members whose sympathies are, in the main, with the members of the Left, but who do not favor extreme courses, and on occasions vote with the government. They sit between the Center and the extreme Left. --
Over the left shoulder, or
Over the left, an old but still current colloquialism, or slang expression, used as an aside to indicate insincerity, negation, or disbelief; as, he said it, and it is true, -- over the left. [ 1913 Webster ]

Put that rose a little more to the left. Ld. Lytton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Those members of a legislative assembly (as in France) who are in the opposition; the advanced republicans and extreme radicals. They have their seats at the left-hand side of the presiding officer. See Center, and Right. [ 1913 Webster ]

Left-hand rope, rope laid up and twisted over from right to left, or against the sun; -- called also water-laid rope. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Clumsy; awkward; unlucky; insincere; sinister; malicious; as, a left-handed compliment. [ 1913 Webster ]

The commendations of this people are not always left-handed and detractive. Landor. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Having a direction contrary to that of the hands of a watch when seen in front; -- said of a twist, a rotary motion, etc., looked at from a given direction. [ 1913 Webster ]

Left-handed marriage, a morganatic marriage. See Morganatic. --
Left-handed screw, a screw constructed to advance away from the observer, when turned, as in a nut, with a left-handed rotation. An ordinary wood screw is right-handed. [ 1913 Webster ]