handle

The part of an object which is (designed to be) held in the hand when used or moved.

Noun

The part of an object which is (designed to be) held in the hand when used or moved.
- Once his fingers strayed to the handle of his hunting-knife, and I should have interfered had I not been conscious that Wickliffe was on his guard. - 1854, John Hovey Robinson, Silver-knife: or, The hunters of the Rocky...
- By pushing the fork downwards so that its teeth pass the handle of the stopper, and then turning the cover of the desiccator 90°, the handle of the stopper falls into the furrows and rests upon them. - 1902, “Atomic...
- By keeping the handle of the bellows fixed in any given position the lung within the chamber could be kept for a short time at any desired degree of distension, and by pressing at intervals upon the bag, air could be...
An instrument for effecting a purpose (either literally or figuratively); a tool, or an opportunity or pretext.
- They overturned him to all his interests by the sure but fatal handle of his own good nature. - 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London:
- Nothing can be more reprehensible, or wicked, than to make Christian Missions a handle for political expansion. - 1894, Robert Needham Cust, Essay on the prevailing methods of the evangelization of the non-Christian...
- Many investigators feel that the double requirement for the antigen-recognition by cytotoxic T cells or DTH-reactive T cells may provide a handle for solving the T-cell receptor puzzle, and that anti-Id reagents are to...
The gross amount of wagering within a given period of time or for a given event at one of more establishments.
- The daily handle of a Las Vegas casino is typically millions of dollars.
- For a casino table game,the handle is difficult to determine, as it consists of all the bets made in every game, whether by chip or by cash play. - 2001, William Norman Thompson, Gambling in America: an encyclopedia of...
- Note here, however, that the casino's "edge" (its expected value per unit bet, or, in casino jargon, the house p.c.) in table games is expressed as a percentage of the handle and not as a percentage of the drop (even...
The tactile qualities of a fabric, e.g., softness, firmness, elasticity, fineness, resilience, and other qualities perceived by touch.
A name or nickname, especially as an identifier over the radio or Internet.
- We sat together at the restaurant and asked him about his handle (CB name). - 1997, Jack Canfield, Hanoch McCarty, A 4th course of chicken soup for the soul, →ISBN, page 312:
- This was so unexpected that Jack came close to gabbling out his real name instead of the one he had used at the Golden Spoon, the name he also used if the people who picked him up asked for his handle. - 2001, Stephen...
- "I don't actually know his birth name. He just uses his handle." - 2007, Jon Evans, Invisible Armies, →ISBN, page 253:
Coordinate Terms: alias call sign pseudonym
A title attached to one's name, such as Doctor or Colonel.
- The successful businessman was knighted and acquired a handle to his name.
A reference to an object or structure that can be stored in a variable.
- This article describes how to find the module name from the window handle.
- A handle for a type instance is similar to an open file descriptor; it is used to reference that type instance when performing operations on it. - 1989, Petrus Maria Gerardus Apers, Gio Wiederhold, Proceedings of the...
- By contrast, when a host function creates a handle for a nested function and returns that handle to a calling program, the host function's workspace is created and remains in existence for as long as the function handle...
A traditional dimpled glass with a handle, for serving a pint of beer.
Synonyms: jug
A 10 fluid ounce (285 mL) glass of beer.
- A shudder passes over him and he orders another handle of beer. - 2002, Kate Duignan, Breakwater, Victoria University Press, →ISBN, page 86:
- Imagine staring into the heavens on a clear night and seeing a handle of beer floating amongst the stars, or an angel, or the face of a famous celebrity. - 2006, Rod Hylands, Lateral Connection, →ISBN, page 68:
- When ordering a beer, you'll get either a handle (mug) or a one-liter jug (pitcher). - 2008, Stephanie E. Butler, Fodor's 2009 New Zealand, →ISBN, page 571:
A half-gallon (1.75-liter) bottle of alcohol.
- Josh bought a fifth of Evan Williams for Andrew as a token of gratitude and Ray, because of the financial constraints, purchased the cheapest handle of whiskey he could find: Heaven Hill. - 2014, Ray Stoeser, Josh...
A point, an extremity of land.
- the Handle of the Sug in Newfoundland
A topological space homeomorphic to a ball but viewed as a product of two lower-dimensional balls.
- Such a 2-handle cancels the 1-handle so the manifold is D⁴. - 2003, Gordana Matić, Clint McCrory, Topology and geometry of manifolds, →ISBN, page 182:

Origin

From Middle English handel, handle, from Old English handle (“handle”), from Proto-West Germanic *handulā (“handle”). See verb below. Cognate with German Hantel (“dumbbell, barbell”), Danish handel (“handle”). Related to hand.

Verb

To touch; to feel or hold with the hand(s).
- Happy, ye leaves! when as those lilly hands [...] Shall handle you. - 1595, Edmunde Spenser [i.e., Edmund Spenser], “[Amoretti.] Sonnet I”, in Amoretti and Epithalamion. […], London: […] [Peter Short] for William...
- Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh. - 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 24:39:
- [...] about his altar, handling holy things - 1671, John Milton, “The First Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC:
To accustom to the hand; to take care of with the hands.
- The hardness of the winters forces the breeders to house and handle their colts for at least six months every year. - 1679, William Temple, An essay upon the advancement of trade in Ireland.:
To manage, use, or wield with the hands.
- That fellow handles his bow like a crowkeeper - c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard,...
- Light on his feet for a big man, he handled the rifle like a pistol. - 1976, Mel Hallin Bolster, Crazy Snake and the Smoked Meat Rebellion, page 66:
To manage, control, or direct.
- You shall see how I'll handle her - c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
- The findings emerged from questionnaires filled in by 2,211 staff in 145 wards of 55 hospitals in England and Wales and 105 observations of care of dementia patients. Two-thirds of staff said they had not had enough...
- “You also handle the accounts for Julie Wojakowski, what about her? Any recent deposits in that amount?” - 2015, Nora Quick, Case of the Missing Millionaire:
To treat, to deal with (in a specified way).
- she handled the news with grace
- the Persians handled the French ambassador shamefully
- I will not tell thee how Ile handle thee, But euery common ſouldier of my Camp Shall ſmile to see thy miſerable ſtate. - c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […],...
To deal with (a subject, argument, topic, or theme) in speaking, in writing, or in art.
- We will handle what persons are apt to envy others... - 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Envy”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:
- If traditional painting handled the same themes again and again, a truth which people are apt to overlook is that we often get startlingly different compositions of the same theme or episode. - 1976, Krishna Chaitanya,...
To receive and transfer; to have pass through one's hands; hence, to buy and sell.
- a merchant handles a variety of goods, or a large stock
To be concerned with; to be an expert in.
- They that handle the law knew me not - 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Jeremiah 2:8:
To put up with; to endure (and continue to function).
- I can't handle this hot weather.
- For example, a program that loads data from a file needs to handle the case where that file is not found. - 2014, Andrew Stellman, Jennifer Greene, Learning Agile: Understanding Scrum, XP, Lean, and Kanban, →ISBN:
To use the hands.
- They [idols made of gold and silver] have hands, but they handle not - 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 115:7:
To illegally touch the ball with the hand or arm; to commit handball.
To behave in a particular way when handled (managed, controlled, directed).
- the car handles well
Synonyms: ride

Origin

From Middle English handlen, from Old English handlian (“to handle, feel, deal with, discuss”), from Proto-West Germanic *handulōn, from Proto-Germanic *handulōną (“to take, grip, feel”), equivalent to hand + -le. Cognate with West Frisian handelje, hanneljen, hanljen (“to handle, treat”), Dutch handelen (“to handle, deal, act, negotiate”), German handeln (“to act, trade, negotiate, behave”), Swedish handla (“to buy, trade, deal”), Icelandic höndla (“to handle”).