handle

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

[edit]
WikipediaWikipedia

Pronunciation

[edit]

Etymology 1

[edit]

FromMiddle Englishhandel,handle,fromOld Englishhandle(“a handle”),fromhandlian(“to handle, feel, deal with, discuss”).See verb below. Cognate withDanishhandel(“a handle”).

Noun

[edit]

handle(pluralhandles)

  1. The part of an object which is (designed to be) held in the hand when used or moved.
    • 1854,John Hovey Robinson,Silver-knife: or, The hunters of the Rocky Mountains‎[1],page133:
      Once his fingers strayed to thehandleof his hunting-knife, and I should have interfered had I not been conscious that Wickliffe was on his guard.
    • 1902,“Atomic Weight of Lanthanum”, inJournal of the Chemical Society‎[2],volume81,part 2:
      By pushing the fork downwards so that its teeth pass thehandleof the stopper, and then turning the cover of the desiccator 90°, thehandleof the stopper falls into the furrows and rests upon them.
    • 1905,“Origin of the Respiratory Sounds”, inProceedings of the Royal Society of London‎[3],volume37:
      By keeping thehandleof 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 forced to and fro between the bad and the lung outside the chamber, without distending the air within it.
    • 1972,Frank Zappa(lyrics and music), “Billy the Mountain”:
      But first they were gonna stop in Las Vegas / It's off to Las Vegas / To check out the lounges / Pull a fewhandles
  2. Aninstrumentfor effecting a purpose (either literally or figuratively); atool,or anopportunityorpretext.
    • 1692–1717,Robert South,Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions,volumes(please specify |volume=I to VI),London:
      They overturned him to all his interests by the sure but fatalhandleof his own good nature.
    • 1894,Robert Needham Cust,Essay on the prevailing methods of the evangelization of the non-Christian world‎[4],page70:
      Nothing can be more reprehensible, or wicked, than to make Christian Missions ahandlefor political expansion.
    • 1978,William Hay Taliaferro, John Herbert Humphrey,Advances in immunology‎[5],page224:
      Many investigators feel that the double requirement for the antigen-recognition by cytotoxic T cells or DTH-reactive T cells may provide ahandlefor solving the T-cell receptor puzzle, and that anti-Id reagents are to be used in this approach.
    • 1985December 28, Nancy Wechsler, “Boston Forum Calls for Radical Confrontation”, inGay Community News,volume13,number24,page 2:
      The way AIDS has become ahandlefor the New Right's homophobia.
    • 1997,Allen S. Johnson,A prologue to revolution: the political career of George Grenville‎[6],→ISBN,page95:
      Indeed, at the beginning of the session he was careful to make "no declarations of what might hereafter be measures, so as to give anybody ahandlefor fi xing him down to any particular system. "
  3. (gambling)Thegrossamount ofwageringwithin a given period of time or for a given event at one of more establishments.
    The dailyhandleof a Las Vegas casino is typically millions of dollars.
    • 2001,William Norman Thompson,Gambling in America: an encyclopedia of history, issues, and society‎[7],→ISBN,page421:
      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,Harold L. Vogel,Travel industry economics: a guide for financial analysis‎[8],→ISBN,page139:
      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 thehandleand not as a percentage of the drop (even though these might sometimes be the same).
    • 2007,Douglas M. Walker,The economics of casino gambling‎[9],→ISBN,page77:
      The results for the dog racing model indicate that increases in lottery sales and decreases in horse racinghandleand casino revenues in the state in question statistically increase dog racinghandle.
  4. (textiles)The tactile qualities of a fabric, e.g., softness, firmness, elasticity, fineness, resilience, and other qualities perceived by touch.
  5. (slang)Anameornickname,especially as anidentifierover theradioorInternet.
    Coordinate terms:alias,call sign,pseudonym
    • 1997,Jack Canfield, Hanoch McCarty,A 4th course of chicken soup for the soul‎[10],→ISBN,page312:
      We sat together at the restaurant and asked him about hishandle(CB name).
    • 2001,Stephen King, Peter Straub,The Talisman‎[11],→ISBN:
      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 hishandle.
    • 2007,Jon Evans,Invisible Armies‎[12],→ISBN,page253:
      "I don't actually know his birth name. He just uses hishandle."
  6. (slang)Atitleattached to one's name, such asDoctororColonel.
    The successful businessman was knighted and acquired ahandleto his name.
  7. (computing)Areferenceto an object or structure that can be stored in avariable.
    This article describes how to find the module name from the windowhandle.
    • 1989,Petrus Maria Gerardus Apers, Gio Wiederhold,Proceedings of the Fifteenth International Conference on Very Large Data‎[13],page383:
      Ahandlefor a type instance is similar to an open file descriptor; it is used to reference that type instance when performing operations on it.
    • 2008,Stephen J. Chapman,MATLAB programming for engineers‎[14],→ISBN,page354:
      By contrast, when a host function creates a handle for a nested function and returns thathandleto a calling program, the host function's workspace is created andremains in existence for as long as the function handle remains in existence.
  8. (UK,informal)A traditionaldimpledglasswith a handle, for serving apintofbeer.
    Synonym:jug
  9. (Australia,chieflyNorthern Territory,New Zealand)A 10 fluid ounce (285 mL) glass of beer.
    • 2002,Kate Duignan,Breakwater‎[15],Victoria University Press,→ISBN,page86:
      A shudder passes over him and he orders anotherhandleof beer.
    • 2006,Rod Hylands,Lateral Connection‎[16],→ISBN,page68:
      Imagine staring into the heavens on a clear night and seeing ahandleof beer floating amongst the stars, or an angel, or the face of a famous celebrity.
    • 2008,Stephanie E. Butler,Fodor's 2009 New Zealand‎[17],→ISBN,page571:
      When ordering a beer, you'll get either ahandle(mug) or a one-liter jug (pitcher).
  10. (US)A half-gallon (1.75-liter) bottle of alcohol.
    • 2014,Ray Stoeser, Josh Cuffe,Bury My Body Down By the Highway Side,page83:
      Josh bought a fifth of Evan Williams for Andrew as a token of gratitude and Ray, because of the financial constraints, purchased the cheapesthandleof whiskey he could find: Heaven Hill.
  11. (geography,NewfoundlandandLabrador,rare)Apoint,an extremity of land.
    theHandleof the Sug in Newfoundland
  12. (topology)Atopological spacehomeomorphicto aballbut viewed as aproductof two lower-dimensionalballs.
    • 2003,Gordana Matić, Clint McCrory,Topology and geometry of manifolds‎[18],→ISBN,page182:
      Such a 2-handlecancels the 1-handleso the manifold is D4.
  13. (algebraic geometry)Thesmooth,irreduciblesubcurveof acombwhich connects to each of the othercomponentsin exactly one point.
  14. (slang)A person'snose.
    • 1811,Charles Lamb,Prince Dorus:
      That Nose, which in the infant could annoy, / Was grown a perfect nuisance in the boy. / Whene'er he walk'd, hisHandlewent before, / Long as the snout of Ferret, or Wild Boar;[…]
Synonyms
[edit]
Hyponyms
[edit]
  • (part of an object held in the hand when used or moved):bail(bucket, kettle, pitcher),haft(tool, weapon),hilt(sword),knob,stail(tool),stilt(plough)
Derived terms
[edit]
[edit]
Descendants
[edit]
  • →Japanese:ハンドル(handoru)
    • →Hokkien:Hãn nhiều lộ(hăn-tó͘-luh)
    • →Sakizaya:handulu
Translations
[edit]

Etymology 2

[edit]

FromMiddle Englishhandlen,fromOld Englishhandlian(“to handle, feel, deal with, discuss”),fromProto-West Germanic*handulōn,fromProto-Germanic*handulōną(“to take, grip, feel”),equivalent tohand+‎-le.Cognate withWest Frisianhandelje,hanneljen,hanljen(“to handle, treat”),Dutchhandelen(“to handle, deal, act, negotiate”),Germanhandeln(“to act, trade, negotiate, behave”),Swedishhandla(“to buy, trade, deal”),Icelandichöndla(“to handle”).

Verb

[edit]

handle(third-person singular simple presenthandles,present participlehandling,simple past and past participlehandled)

  1. (transitive)To touch; to feel or hold with the hand(s).
  2. (transitive,rare)To accustom to the hand; to take care of with the hands.
    • 1679,William Temple,An essay upon the advancement of trade in Ireland.:
      The hardness of the winters forces the breeders to house andhandletheir colts for at least six months every year.
  3. (transitive)To manage, use, orwieldwith the hands.
    • c.1603–1606,William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”,inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…](First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard,andEd[ward]Blount,published1623,→OCLC,[Act IV, scene vi]:
      That fellowhandleshis bow like a crowkeeper
    • 1976,Mel Hallin Bolster,Crazy Snake and the Smoked Meat Rebellion,page66:
      Light on his feet for a big man, hehandledthe rifle like a pistol.
  4. (transitive)To manage, control, or direct.
    • c.1603–1604(date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”,inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…](First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard,andEd[ward]Blount,published1623,→OCLC,[Act V, scene i]:
      You shall see how I'llhandleher
    • 2011December 16, Denis Campbell, “Hospital staff 'lack skills to cope with dementia patients'”, inGuardian‎[20]:
      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 training to provide proper care, 50% said they had not been trained how to communicate properly with such patients and 54% had not been told how tohandlechallenging or aggressive behaviour.
    • 2015,Nora Quick,Case of the Missing Millionaire:
      “You alsohandlethe accounts for Julie Wojakowski, what about her? Any recent deposits in that amount?”
    • 2019October, “Consultation on University Station designs”, inModern Railways,page17:
      University station opened in May 1978 and was designed tohandlearound 500,000 passengers a year, a significantly lower figure than the 3.5 million passengers who now use it.
  5. (transitive)To treat, to deal with (in a specified way).
    shehandledthe news with grace
    the Persianshandledthe French ambassador shamefully
  6. (transitive)To deal with (a subject, argument, topic, or theme) in speaking, in writing, or in art.
    • 1625,Francis [Bacon],“Of Envy”, inThe Essayes[…],3rd edition, London:[…]Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret,→OCLC:
      We willhandlewhat persons are apt to envy others...
    • 1976,Krishna Chaitanya,A History of Indian Painting: The modern period,page21:
      If traditional paintinghandledthe 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.
  7. (transitive)To receive and transfer; to have pass through one's hands; hence, to buy and sell.
    a merchanthandlesa variety of goods, or a large stock
  8. (transitive,rare)To be concerned with; to be an expert in.
  9. (transitive)Toput up with;to endure (and continue to function).
    I can'thandlethis hot weather.
    • 2014,Andrew Stellman, Jennifer Greene,Learning Agile: Understanding Scrum, XP, Lean, and Kanban,→ISBN:
      For example, a program that loads data from a file needs tohandlethe case where that file is not found.
  10. (intransitive)To use the hands.
  11. (soccer,intransitive)To illegally touch the ball with the hand or arm; to commithandball.
  12. (intransitive)Tobehavein a particular way when handled (managed, controlled, directed).
    the carhandleswell
Synonyms
[edit]
The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. For synonyms and antonyms you may use the templates{{syn|en|...}}or{{ant|en|...}}.
Derived terms
[edit]
[edit]
Descendants
[edit]
Translations
[edit]
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Anagrams

[edit]

Alemannic German

[edit]

Verb

[edit]

handle

  1. (Uri)tostroketheteatsof adairy cowuntil theyfillwithmilk

References

[edit]

Danish

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

FromOld Norsehandla,hǫndla,fromhǫnd(“hand”).In the sensetradeinfluenced by fromMiddle Low GermanhandelenandGermanhandeln.

Pronunciation

[edit]

Verb

[edit]

handle(imperativehandl,infinitiveathandle,present tensehandler,past tensehandlede,perfect tenseharhandlet)

  1. act(to do something)
  2. trade,shop

German

[edit]

Pronunciation

[edit]

Verb

[edit]

handle

  1. inflection ofhandeln:
    1. first-personsingularpresent
    2. singularimperative
    3. first/third-personsingularsubjunctiveI

Norwegian Bokmål

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

FromOld NorsehandlaandGermanhandeln.

Verb

[edit]

handle(imperativehandlorhandle,present tensehandler,passivehandles,simple past and past participlehandlaorhandlet,present participlehandlende)

  1. toact(do something)
  2. todeal,trade,to do business
  3. toshop(visit shops)

Derived terms

[edit]

References

[edit]

Norwegian Nynorsk

[edit]

Alternative forms

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

FromOld NorsehandlaandGermanhandeln.

Verb

[edit]

handle(present tensehandlar,past tensehandla,past participlehandla,passive infinitivehandlast,present participlehandlande,imperativehandle/handl)

  1. toact(do something)
  2. todeal,trade,to do business
  3. toshop(visit shops)

Derived terms

[edit]

References

[edit]

Old English

[edit]

Alternative forms

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

FromProto-West Germanic*handulā,from*handulōn(“to handle”),equivalent tohandlian+‎-e.

Pronunciation

[edit]
  • IPA(key):/ˈxɑnd.le/,[ˈhɑnd.le]

Noun

[edit]

handlef

  1. handle

Declension

[edit]
Declension ofhandle(weak)
Case Singular Plural
nominative handle handlan
accusative handlan handlan
genitive handlan handlena
dative handlan handlum

Derived terms

[edit]
[edit]

Descendants

[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=handle&oldid=82560407"