From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
handle
n : the appendage to an object that is designed to be held in
order to use or move it; "he grabbed the hammer by the
handle"; "it was an old briefcase but it still had a good
grip" [syn: grip, handgrip, hold]
v 1: be in charge of, act on, or dispose of; "I can deal with
this crew of workers"; "This blender can't handle nuts";
"She managed her parents' affairs after they got too
old" [syn: manage, deal, care]
2: interact in a certain way; "Do right by her"; "Treat him
with caution, please"; "Handle the press reporters gently"
[syn: treat, do by]
3: deal with verbally or in some form of artistic expression;
"This book deals with incest"; "The course covered all of
Western Civilization"; "The new book treats the history of
China" [syn: cover, treat, plow, deal, address]
4: touch, lift, or hold with the hands; "Don't handle the
merchandise" [syn: palm]
5: handle effectively; "The burglar wielded an axe" [syn:
wield]
6: show and train; "The prize-winning poodle was handled by
Mrs. Priscilla Prescott"
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Handle \Han"dle\ (h[a^]n"d'l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Handled
(-d'ld); p. pr. & vb. n. Handling (-dl[i^]ng).] [OE.
handlen, AS. handlian; akin to D. handelen to trade, G.
handeln. See Hand.]
1. 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.
--Luke xxiv.
39.
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About his altar, handling holy things. --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
2. To manage in using, as a spade or a musket; to wield;
often, to manage skillfully.
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That fellow handles his bow like a crowkeeper.
--Shak.
[1913 Webster]
3. To accustom to the hand; to work upon, or take care of,
with the hands.
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The hardness of the winters forces the breeders to
house and handle their colts six months every year.
--Sir W.
Temple.
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4. 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]
5. To deal with; to make a business of.
[1913 Webster]
They that handle the law knew me not. --Jer. ii. 8.
[1913 Webster]
6. To treat; to use, well or ill.
[1913 Webster]
How wert thou handled being prisoner? --Shak.
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7. To manage; to control; to practice skill upon.
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You shall see how I will handle her. --Shak.
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8. To use or manage in writing or speaking; to treat, as a
theme, an argument, or an objection.
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We will handle what persons are apt to envy others.
--Bacon.
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To handle without gloves. See under Glove. [Colloq.]
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Handle \Han"dle\ (h[a^]n"d'l), v. i.
To use the hands.
[1913 Webster]
They have hands, but they handle not. --Ps. cxv. 7.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Handle \Han"dle\, n. [AS. handle. See Hand.]
1. 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]
2. 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.
[1913 Webster]
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (19 Sep 2003) [foldoc]:
handle
1. <jargon> (From Citizen's Band amateur radio slang) An
electronic pseudonym or "nom de guerre" intended to conceal
the user's true identity. Network and BBS handles function as
the same sort of simultaneous concealment and display one
finds on CB.
Use of grandiose handles is characteristic of crackers,
weenies, spods, and other lower forms of network life;
true hackers travel on their own reputations rather than
invented legendry.
Compare nick.
2. <programming> (Macintosh) A pointer to a pointer to
dynamically-allocated memory. The extra level of indirection
allows on-the-fly memory compaction (to cut down on
fragmentation) or garbage collection of unused resources,
with minimal impact on the (possibly multiple) parts of the
larger program containing references to the allocated memory.
Compare snap (to snap a handle would defeat its purpose).
See also aliasing bug, dangling pointer.
[Jargon File]
(1995-02-28)
From Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) [jargon]:
handle
n.
1. [from CB slang] An electronic pseudonym; a nom de guerre intended
to conceal the user's true identity. Network and BBS handles function
as the same sort of simultaneous concealment and display one finds on
Citizen's Band radio, from which the term was adopted. Use of
grandiose handles is characteristic of warez d00dz, crackers,
weenies, spods, and other lower forms of network life; true
hackers travel on their own reputations rather than invented
legendry. Compare nick, screen name.
2. A magic cookie, often in the form of a numeric index into some
array somewhere, through which you can manipulate an object like a
file or window. The form file handle is especially common.
3. [Mac] A pointer to a pointer to dynamically-allocated memory; the
extra level of indirection allows on-the-fly memory compaction (to
cut down on fragmentation) or aging out of unused resources, with
minimal impact on the (possibly multiple) parts of the larger program
containing references to the allocated memory. Compare snap (to
snap a handle would defeat its purpose); see also aliasing bug,
dangling pointer.