handy
nounEtymology From hand + -y (diminutive suffix).
1
Childish The hand.
- Clap, clap handies Mammie's wee, wee ain.1916, Blanche Fisher Wright, The Real Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme Illustration:
- Related terms
- handsies
handy
adj/ˈhæn.di/
Etymology
From Middle English handy, hondi (attested in personal names), alteration of earlier hendi (“handy, skillful”), from Old English *hendiġ (“skillful”) (attested in listhendiġ (“skilled in art”)), from Proto-West Germanic *handīg, *handag, *handug, from Proto-Germanic *handugaz (“handy, skillful, nimble”), from *handuz (“hand”), equivalent to hand + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian jäntich (“handy”), Middle Low German handich (“skillful, apt”), Middle High German handec, hendec (“manual, hand-held”), Old Norse hǫndugr (“efficient”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌿𐌲𐍃 (handugs, “wise, clever”). Akin to Dutch handig (“handy”), Norwegian hendig (“handy”), Swedish händig (“handy”).
1
Easy to use, useful.
- Some people regard duct tape as a handy fix-all.
2
Nearby, within reach.
- You wouldn’t have a screwdriver handy, would you?
- I keep a first-aid kit handy in case of emergency.
2 more examples
- Have you a sheet of paper handy?1934, Ernest Bramah, The Bravo of London:
- And finally, have potholders and a stack of old towels handy before you begin. Dye splashes and drips may occur, so protect surfaces and be prepared to clean countertops.2026, Katherine Augustine, “Dyeing in the Baking Aisle”, in Spin Off, volume L, number 1, page 33:
3
Dexterous, skilful. (of a person)
- She's very handy: she made all her own kitchen cupboards.
4
Slang Physically violent; tending to use one's fists.
- We had a sergeant who was a bit handy with the rougher elements. He dealt with them a little bit differently to what I do.1974, William Purcell, British Police in a Changing Society, page 68:
- The Sloanes said he had nothing on them, that he threatened them, made up a lot of lies. Tried to attack them, got a bit handy.2012, Tania Carver, Choked:
5
Of a freight ship: having a small cargo capacity (less than 40,000 DWT); belonging to the handysize class.
- Antonyms
- awkward
- Derived terms
- come in handy, handicam, handily, handiman, handiness, handiwoman, handwriting on the wall, handyish, handyman, handyperson, handywoman, unhandy