handle

noun

1. 1

   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.

   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.

   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 forced to and fro between the bad and the lung outside the chamber, without distending the air within it.

   But first they were gonna stop in Las Vegas / It's off to Las Vegas / To check out the lounges / Pull a few handles

2. 2

   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.

   Nothing can be more reprehensible, or wicked, than to make Christian Missions a handle for political expansion.

   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 be used in this approach.

   The way AIDS has become a handle for the New Right's homophobia.

3. 3

   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.

   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 though these might sometimes be the same).

   The results for the dog racing model indicate that increases in lottery sales and decreases in horse racing handle and casino revenues in the state in question statistically increase dog racing handle.

4. 4

   The tactile qualities of a fabric, e.g., softness, firmness, elasticity, fineness, resilience, and other qualities perceived by touch.

5. 5

   slangA 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).

   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.

   "I don't actually know his birth name. He just uses his handle."

6. 6

   slangA title attached to one's name, such as Doctor or Colonel.

   The successful businessman was knighted and acquired a handle to his name.

7. 7

   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.

   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 remains in existence.

8. 8

   informalA traditional dimpled glass with a handle, for serving a pint of beer.

9. 9

   A 10 fluid ounce (285 mL) glass of beer.

   A shudder passes over him and he orders another handle of beer.

   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.

   When ordering a beer, you'll get either a handle (mug) or a one-liter jug (pitcher).

10. 10

    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.

11. 11

    rareA point, an extremity of land.

    the Handle of the Sug in Newfoundland

12. 12

    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.

13. 13

    The smooth, irreducible subcurve of a comb which connects to each of the other components in exactly one point.

14. 14

    slangA person's nose.

    That Nose, which in the infant could annoy, / Was grown a perfect nuisance in the boy. / Whene'er he walk'd, his Handle went before, / Long as the snout of Ferret, or Wild Boar; […]

15. 15

    The amount wagered in the various pari-mutuel pools for a particular event or events.

verb

1. 1

   To touch; to feel or hold with the hand(s).

   Happy, ye leaves! when as those lilly hands [...] Shall handle you.

   Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh.

   [...] about his altar, handling holy things

   Encourage the client to handle her breasts to grow accustomed to touching them, thus enabling milk production in the first few days after birth.

2. 2

   rareTo 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.

3. 3

   To manage, use, or wield with the hands.

   That fellow handles his bow like a crowkeeper

   Light on his feet for a big man, he handled the rifle like a pistol.

4. 4

   To manage, control, or direct.

   You shall see how I'll handle her

   “You also handle the accounts for Julie Wojakowski, what about her? Any recent deposits in that amount?”

   University station opened in May 1978 and was designed to handle around 500,000 passengers a year, a significantly lower figure than the 3.5 million passengers who now use it.

5. 5

   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.

   How wert thou handled being prisoner?

6. 6

   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...

   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.

7. 7

   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

8. 8

   rareTo be concerned with; to be an expert in.

   They that handle the law knew me not

9. 9

   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.

10. 10

    To use the hands.

    They [idols made of gold and silver] have hands, but they handle not

11. 11

    To illegally touch the ball with the hand or arm; to commit handball.

12. 12

    To behave in a particular way when handled (managed, controlled, directed).

    the car handles well

Forms

plural

handles

past tense

handled

past participle

handled

present participle

handling

third person singular

handles