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get a handle on

get a han·dle on
G g

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [get ey han-dl on, awn]
    • /gɛt eɪ ˈhæn dl ɒn, ɔn/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [get ey han-dl on, awn]
    • /gɛt eɪ ˈhæn dl ɒn, ɔn/

Definitions of get a handle on words

  • noun get a handle on that which may be held, seized, grasped, or taken advantage of in effecting a purpose: The clue was a handle for solving the mystery. 2
  • noun get a handle on a part of a thing made specifically to be grasped or held by the hand. 1
  • noun get a handle on Slang. a person's name, especially the given name. a person's alias, nickname, or code name. a username, as on a social media website: What's your Twitter handle? a name or term by which something is known, described, or explained. 1
  • noun get a handle on the total amount wagered on an event, series of events, or for an entire season or seasons, as at a gambling casino or in horse racing: The track handle for the day was over a million dollars. 1
  • noun get a handle on the total amount of money taken in by a business concern on one transaction, sale, event, or series of transactions, or during a specific period, especially by a theater, nightclub, sports arena, resort hotel, or the like. 1
  • noun get a handle on hand (def 27). 1
See all 18 definitions of get a handle on

Information block about the term

Origin of get a handle on

First appearance:

before 900
One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; (noun) Middle English handel, Old English hand(e)le, derivative of hand; (verb) Middle English handelen, Old English handlian (cognate with German handlen, Old Norse hǫndla to seize), derivative of the noun

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Get a handle on

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Get a handle on

get a handle on popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 98% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

get a handle on usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for get a handle on

verb get a handle on

  • wrestle — to engage in wrestling.
  • handle — a part of a thing made specifically to be grasped or held by the hand.
  • confront — If you are confronted with a problem, task, or difficulty, you have to deal with it.
  • get by — to receive or come to have possession, use, or enjoyment of: to get a birthday present; to get a pension.
  • grapple — to hold or make fast to something, as with a grapple.
All 54 Synonyms of get a handle on

Antonyms for get a handle on

verb get a handle on

  • refuse — to decline to accept (something offered): to refuse an award.
  • retreat — the forced or strategic withdrawal of an army or an armed force before an enemy, or the withdrawing of a naval force from action.
  • surrender — to yield (something) to the possession or power of another; deliver up possession of on demand or under duress: to surrender the fort to the enemy; to surrender the stolen goods to the police.
  • hold — to have or keep in the hand; keep fast; grasp: She held the purse in her right hand. He held the child's hand in his.
  • keep — to hold or retain in one's possession; hold as one's own: If you like it, keep it. Keep the change.
All 18 Antonyms of get a handle on

See also

Matching words

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