- To have one's handful
- handful hand"ful (h[a^]nd"f[.u]l), n.; pl. {handfuls}
(h[a^]nd"f[.u]lz). [AS. handfull.]
1. As much as the hand will grasp or contain. --Addison.
[1913 Webster]
2. A hand's breadth; four inches. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]
Knap the tongs together about a handful from the bottom. --Bacon. [1913 Webster]
3. A small quantity or number. [1913 Webster]
This handful of men were tied to very hard duty. --Fuller. [1913 Webster]
4. A person, task, or situation, which is the most that one can manage; as, my two-year-old is a handful. [PJC]
{To have one's handful}, to have one's hands full; to have all one can do. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]
They had their handful to defend themselves from firing. --Sir. W. Raleigh. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
