Which hand on a clock is the hour hand?
The short one
Yes, the hour hand is traditionally shorter than the minute
hand. However, the hour hand is known as the BIG hand because an
hour is bigger than a minute.
That means the minute hand is known as the LITTLE hand since a
minute is LITTLE when compared to an hour. This is the historical
explanation of the labels for the two hands, based on function an
expressed in form by the hour hand having a broader, albeit
shorter, design than the minute hand which is longer but
narrower.
Hour = bigger than minute = the BIG hand
Minute = smaller than hour = the LITTLE hand