Handle

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive)
• HYPHEN: han=dle

CIDE DICTIONARY

Handle, v. t. [OE. handlen, AS. handlian; akin to D. handelen to trade, G. handeln. See Hand.].

•  To touch; to feel with the hand; to use or hold with the hand.  [1913 Webster]

  "Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh."  [1913 Webster]

  "About his altar, handling holy things."  [1913 Webster]
•  To manage in using, as a spade or a musket; to wield; often, to manage skillfully.  [1913 Webster]

  "That fellow handles his bow like a crowkeeper."  [1913 Webster]
•  To accustom to the hand; to work upon, or take care of, with the hands.  [1913 Webster]

  "The hardness of the winters forces the breeders to house and handle their colts six months every year."  [1913 Webster]
•  To receive and transfer; to have pass through one's hands; hence, to buy and sell; as, a merchant handles a variety of goods, or a large stock.  [1913 Webster]
•  To deal with; to make a business of.  [1913 Webster]

  "They that handle the law knew me not."  [1913 Webster]
•  To treat; to use, well or ill.  [1913 Webster]

  "How wert thou handled being prisoner?"  [1913 Webster]
•  To manage; to control; to practice skill upon.  [1913 Webster]

  "You shall see how I will handle her."  [1913 Webster]
•  To use or manage in writing or speaking; to treat, as a theme, an argument, or an objection.  [1913 Webster]

  "We will handle what persons are apt to envy others."  [1913 Webster]

To handle without gloves. See under Glove. [Colloq.]

Handle, v. i. 

 To use the hands.  [1913 Webster]
"They have hands, but they handle not."  [1913 Webster]

Handle, n. [AS. handle. See Hand.].

•  That part of vessels, instruments, etc., which is held in the hand when used or moved, as the haft of a sword, the knob of a door, the bail of a kettle, etc.  [1913 Webster]
•  That of which use is made; the instrument for effecting a purpose; a tool.  South.  [1913 Webster]

To give a handle, to furnish an occasion or means.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Handle, n. & v.
--n.
1 the part by which a thing is held, carried, or controlled.
2 a fact that may be taken advantage of (gave a handle to his critics).
3 colloq. a personal title.
4 the feel of goods, esp. textiles, when handled.
--v.tr.
1 touch, feel, operate, or move with the hands.
2 manage or deal with; treat in a particular or correct way (knows how to handle people; unable to handle the situation).
3 deal in (goods).
4 discuss or write about (a subject).

Idiom

get a handle on colloq. understand the basis of or reason for a situation, circumstance, etc.

Derivative

handleable adj. handleability n. handled adj. (also in comb.).

Etymology

OE handle, handlian (as HAND)

THESAURUS

Handle

accomplish, act toward, administer, aim, air, alibi, analyze, apology, appellation, appellative, apply, be in, be responsible for, bed, bed down, behave toward, bestow, bilge, binomen, binomial name, blain, bleb, blind, blister, blob, boss, bow, brandish, break, bridle, brush, bubble, bulb, bulge, bulla, bump, bunch, burl, button, buy and sell, byname, byword, cahot, call the signals, canvass, captain, care for, caress, carry, carry on, carry out, carry through, chart a course, chine, cloak, clump, cognomen, color, come in contact, command, comment upon, complete, cond, conduct, condyle, conn, consider, contend with, control, controvert, convex, cope with, cover, cover story, cover-up, coxswain, criticize, cryptonym, curry, currycomb, deal by, deal in, deal with, debate, deliberate, deliberate upon, denomination, descant, designation, device, direct, discharge, discourse, discourse about, discuss, dispatch, dispense, dispose of, dissert, dissertate, do by, do with, dominate, dowel, drench, drive, ear, employ, empty title, enact, engineer, epithet, eponym, euonym, examine, exchange views, excuse, execute, exercise, exert, exploit, facade, feed, feel, feel of, feint, finger, flange, flap, flick, flourish, fodder, fondle, front, gall, gentle, gloss, gnarl, go into, govern, grasp, grip, groom, guide, guise, haft, harness, have the conn, head, head up, helm, helve, hill, hilt, hitch, hold, honor, honorific, hump, hunch, hyponym, inquire into, investigate, job, jog, joggle, knob, knock around, knot, knur, knurl, label, lame excuse, lay, lead, lead on, level, lip, litter, locus standi, loop, lump, make, make go, make the rules, make use of, manage, maneuver, manipulate, market, mask, mastermind, merchandise, milk, mole, moniker, mountain, name, namesake, navigate, nevus, nomen, nomen nudum, nub, nubbin, nubble, officer, operate, order, ostensible motive, oversee, palm, palpate, papilloma, pass under review, pat, paw, peg, perform, perform on, pilot, play, ply, point, poke at, poor excuse, practice, prescribe, pretense, pretension, pretext, prod, proper name, proper noun, protestation, public motive, pull the strings, put-off, quarterback, rap, reason, reason about, reason the point, refuge, regulate, remark upon, respond to, retail, review, rib, ridge, ring, rub down, run, saddle, scientific name, screen, secret name, see to, sell, semblance, serve, shake, sham, shape a course, shoulder, show, sift, skipper, smoke screen, sobriquet, spine, stalking-horse, steer, steward, stratagem, stud, study, style, subterfuge, supervise, survey, swing, tab, tackle, tag, take, take care of, take command, take the lead, take up, talk, talk about, talk of, talk over, tame, tap, tautonym, tend, test, thresh out, thumb, title, touch, touch upon, trade in, traffic in, train, transact, treat, treat of, trick, trinomen, trinomial name, try, tubercle, tubercule, twiddle, use, utilize, varnish, veil, ventilate, verruca, vesicle, wale, wart, water, wave, welt, wholesale, wield, work, write up, yoke

ROGET THESAURUS

Handle

Pretext

N pretext, pretense, pretension, plea, allegation, advocation, ostensible motive, ostensible ground, ostensible reason, phony reason, excuse, subterfuge, color, gloss, guise, cover, loop hole, starting hole, how to creep out of, salvo, come off, way of escape, handle, peg to hang on, room locus standi, stalking-horse, cheval de bataille, cue, pretense, put off, dust thrown in the eyes, blind, moonshine, mere pretext, shallow pretext, lame excuse, lame apology, tub to a whale, false plea, sour grapes, makeshift, shift, white lie, special pleading, soft sawder, ostensibly, alleged, apologetic, pretended, ostensibly, under color, under the plea, under the pretense of, under the guise of.

Instrument

N instrument, machinery, mechanism, engineering, instrument, organ, tool, implement, utensil, machine, engine, lathe, gin, mill, air engine, caloric engine, heat engine, gear, tackle, tackling, rig, rigging, apparatus, appliances, plant, materiel, harness, trappings, fittings, accouterments, barde, equipment, equipmentage, appointments, furniture, upholstery, chattels, paraphernalia, mechanical powers, lever, leverage, mechanical advantage, crow, crowbar, handspike, gavelock, jemmy, jimmy, arm, limb, wing, oar, paddle, pulley, wheel and axle, wheelwork, clockwork, wheels within wheels, pinion, crank, winch, cam, pedal, capstan, wheel, inclined plane, wedge, screw, spring, mainspring, can hook, glut, heald, heddle, jenny, parbuckle, sprag, water wheel, handle, hilt, haft, shaft, heft, shank, blade, trigger, tiller, helm, treadle, key, turnscrew, screwdriver, knocker, hammer, edge tool, borer, vice, teeth, nail, rope, peg, support, spoon, arms, oar, cardiograph, recapper, snowplow, tenpenny, votograph, instrumental, mechanical, machinal, brachial.

Use

VB use, make use of, employ, put to use, put in action, put in operation, put in practice, set in motion, set to work, ply, work, wield, handle, manipulate, play, play off, exert, exercise, practice, avail oneself of, profit by, resort to, have recourse to, recur to, take betake oneself to, take up with, take advantage of, lay one's hands on, try, render useful, mold, turn to account, turn to use, convert to use, utilize, work up, call into play, bring into play, put into requisition, call forth, draw forth, press into service, enlist into the service, bring to bear upon, devote, dedicate, consecrate, apply, adhibit, dispose of, make a handle of, make a cat's-paw of, fall back upon, make a shift with, make the most of, make the best of, use up, swallow up, consume, absorb, expend, tax, task, wear, put to task.

Touch

VB touch, feel, handle, finger, thumb, paw, fumble, grope, grabble, twiddle, tweedle, pass the fingers over, run the fingers over, manipulate, wield, throw out a feeler.