In act 1, scene 3 of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, in which this line occurs, witty and light-hearted Maria (the lady-in-waiting to the mistress of the house, Lady Olivia ) is mocking Sir Andrew Aguecheek. The vain, foolish, cowardly, would-be knight-in-shining-armor Sir Andrew has come to the house...
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to woo Lady Olivia, with whom he has no chance at marriage whatsoever, and he's totally oblivious to the fact that Maria is ridiculing him to his face.
Prior to Sir Andrew's arrival at the house, Maria has already taken Sir Andrew's measure, and she's not at all reluctant to tell Sir Toby how she feels about his friend.
MARIA. ... he's a
very fool, and a prodigal. ...... besides that he's
a fool, he's a great quarreler; and but that he hath the gift
of a coward to allay the gust he hath in quarrelling, 'tis
thought among the prudent he would quickly have the gift
of a grave.... moreover, he's drunk nightly in your
company. (1.3.21-22, 26-30, 33-34)
Sir Andrew enters the scene and has a few words with Sir Toby, who urges him to "accost" Maria. Sir Andrew says that he "would not undertake her in this company" (1.3.53-54), and he addresses Maria. He asks if she thinks she's dealing with fools, and Maria responds that she won't have a fool in hand unless she has him in hand.
Sir Andrew understands the literal meaning of Maria's line, and he gives her his hand. Maria now has a fool in hand, and she can keep the jest going as long as she likes. This is when Maria utters the line:
MARIA. Now, sir, thought is free. I pray you, bring your hand
to the buttery-bar and let it drink.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, Maria says, and her opinions is that Sir Andrew is a fool. Maria tells Sir Andrew to take his hand to the buttery-bar, which is where the casks of wine are kept, and fill it with a glass of wine.
Sir Andrew doesn't get it.
SIR ANDREW. Wherefore, sweetheart? what's your metaphor?
MARIA. It's dry, sir.
Maria means that his hand is thirsty and that he's not holding a glass of wine. Given Maria's sometimes bawdy wit, this could also means that Sir Andrew is impotent. However, Sir Andrew takes Maria to mean, literally, that his hand is not wet. He still doesn't get it.
SIR ANDREW. But what's your jest?
MARIA. A dry jest, sir.
Maria means that her metaphor is dry humor or a droll play on words. She's also saying that Sir Andres is witless and that her humor is wasted on him.
Sir Andrew asks if Maria is full of such jests and metaphors and if she's usually this witty. Maria responds that not only is she full of jests, but she has them at her "finger's ends"—that is, ready at a moment's notice. Since she's holding Sir Andrew's hand, she also means that Sir Andrew is the butt of the joke, and he's the "dry jest" to which she refers.
Once she lets go of Sir Andrew's hand, Maria lets go of the butt of the joke, and the jest is over. With reference to Maria's earlier, more earthy jest about Sir Andrew, she's simply reiterating her joke about him being impotent by leaving her "barren."
Maria exits the scene with Sir Andrew still unaware that Maria has teased and mocked him.