Handy
adjective
Convenient to handle or use; useful.
Keep a dictionary handy when you are reading a book.
Often appears as...
- come in handy
- have something handy
adjective
Good at using hands, skillful.
She is very handy at fixing things around the house.
Often appears as...
- handy with tools
- handy in the kitchen
adjective
Nearby, easy to reach.
Fortunately, a hospital was handy when he fell ill.
Often appears as...
- handy for the city centre
- handy for the shops
adjective
Convenient to handle or use; useful.
Keep a dictionary handy when you are reading a book.
Often appears as...
- come in handy
- have something handy
adjective
Good at using hands, skillful.
She is very handy at fixing things around the house.
Often appears as...
- handy with tools
- handy in the kitchen
adjective
Nearby, easy to reach.
Fortunately, a hospital was handy when he fell ill.
Often appears as...
- handy for the city centre
- handy for the shops
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/3Always Accessible
Refers to items being within easy reach or located where you can get them quickly.
Make sure to have your tools handy when working on the car.
Pro Tip 2/3Non-Physical Help
The term doesn't just refer to physical objects but also to anything that can be convenient, like a piece of advice or a service.
His tips were very handy for tackling complex math problems.
Pro Tip 3/3Preparedness Implied
Implies a sense of preparation or anticipation for needs that may arise.
She always has a first aid kit handy on her hikes.
Pro Tip 1/3Always Accessible
Refers to items being within easy reach or located where you can get them quickly.
Make sure to have your tools handy when working on the car.
Pro Tip 2/3Non-Physical Help
The term doesn't just refer to physical objects but also to anything that can be convenient, like a piece of advice or a service.
His tips were very handy for tackling complex math problems.
Pro Tip 3/3Preparedness Implied
Implies a sense of preparation or anticipation for needs that may arise.
She always has a first aid kit handy on her hikes.
Pro Tip 1/3Always Accessible
Refers to items being within easy reach or located where you can get them quickly.
Make sure to have your tools handy when working on the car.
Pro Tip 2/3Non-Physical Help
The term doesn't just refer to physical objects but also to anything that can be convenient, like a piece of advice or a service.
His tips were very handy for tackling complex math problems.
Pro Tip 3/3Preparedness Implied
Implies a sense of preparation or anticipation for needs that may arise.
She always has a first aid kit handy on her hikes.
Compare with
accessibleadroitconvenienthelpfulpracticalresourcefulskilfulusefulversatile
Never forget "Handy"
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Video examples
Ken Jennings: Watson,...
Now when facts come in handy like that -- I love that story because it shows you the power of one fact, one remembered fact in exactly the right place at the right time -- normally something that's easier to see on game shows than in real life. But in this case it happened in real life. And it happens in real life all the time. It's not always a tsunami, often it's a social situation.
Video examples
Does stress affect your...
less sensitive during the test itself. Exercise is another useful tool. Increasing your heart and breathing rate is linked to chemical changes in your brain that help reduce anxiety and increase your sense of well-being. Regular exercise is also widely thought to improve sleeping patterns, which comes in handy the night before a test.
Video examples
A crash course in...
and morphine is one of the most important stories in medical history. It marks medicine's first real triumph over physical pain, and every molecule has a story, and they are all published. They're written by scientists, and they're read by other scientists, so we have handy representations to do this quickly on paper,
Video examples
The infinite life of pi...
pi helps us understand periodic or oscillating systems like clocks, electromagnetic waves, and even music. In statistics, pi is used in the equation to calculate the area under a normal distribution curve, which comes in handy for figuring out distributions of standardized test scores, financial models,
Video examples
Making a TED-Ed Lesson:...
When the pages of the book close at the end, we had to flip each page, supporting it in each position long enough to be photographed as an individual frame. We used binder clips, wedges, Fun-Tak, and almost every handy little thing you can think of. Once all the individual frames were photographed,
Video examples
Listening To Recorded...
always followed by huge grins of delight you tried to explain what we were doing was they couldn't understand it what we could do was turn a switch and then use the microphone which is big handy things like that use that as a speaker and so I we recorded something with the women and
Video examples
David Brooks: The social...
The third is what you might call sympathy, the ability to work within groups. And that comes in tremendously handy, because groups are smarter than individuals. And face-to-face groups are much smarter than groups that communicate electronically,
Video examples
How do focus groups...
Why do we buy certain products or choose certain brands? This is the sort of question advertisers have always asked, and there are no easy answers. However, there is a handy tool that helps companies explore this and similar questions,
Video examples
Living Off the Land in...
I know that I'm sourcing it responsibly, and it's evidence that I can take care of myself. JJ In a place so removed from the rest of the world, knowing how to catch a fish is a handy skill to have.
Video examples
Watch this if you're...
of approaching prey or predators, helping it decide whether or not to strike and strike more accurately. This comes in handy for guarding a nest— unlike most other vipers, the bushmaster lays eggs
Video examples
Ken Jennings: Watson,...
Now when facts come in handy like that -- I love that story because it shows you the power of one fact, one remembered fact in exactly the right place at the right time -- normally something that's easier to see on game shows than in real life. But in this case it happened in real life. And it happens in real life all the time. It's not always a tsunami, often it's a social situation.
Video examples
Does stress affect your...
less sensitive during the test itself. Exercise is another useful tool. Increasing your heart and breathing rate is linked to chemical changes in your brain that help reduce anxiety and increase your sense of well-being. Regular exercise is also widely thought to improve sleeping patterns, which comes in handy the night before a test.
Video examples
A crash course in...
and morphine is one of the most important stories in medical history. It marks medicine's first real triumph over physical pain, and every molecule has a story, and they are all published. They're written by scientists, and they're read by other scientists, so we have handy representations to do this quickly on paper,
Video examples
The infinite life of pi...
pi helps us understand periodic or oscillating systems like clocks, electromagnetic waves, and even music. In statistics, pi is used in the equation to calculate the area under a normal distribution curve, which comes in handy for figuring out distributions of standardized test scores, financial models,
Video examples
Making a TED-Ed Lesson:...
When the pages of the book close at the end, we had to flip each page, supporting it in each position long enough to be photographed as an individual frame. We used binder clips, wedges, Fun-Tak, and almost every handy little thing you can think of. Once all the individual frames were photographed,
Video examples
Listening To Recorded...
always followed by huge grins of delight you tried to explain what we were doing was they couldn't understand it what we could do was turn a switch and then use the microphone which is big handy things like that use that as a speaker and so I we recorded something with the women and
Video examples
David Brooks: The social...
The third is what you might call sympathy, the ability to work within groups. And that comes in tremendously handy, because groups are smarter than individuals. And face-to-face groups are much smarter than groups that communicate electronically,
Video examples
How do focus groups...
Why do we buy certain products or choose certain brands? This is the sort of question advertisers have always asked, and there are no easy answers. However, there is a handy tool that helps companies explore this and similar questions,
Video examples
Living Off the Land in...
I know that I'm sourcing it responsibly, and it's evidence that I can take care of myself. JJ In a place so removed from the rest of the world, knowing how to catch a fish is a handy skill to have.
Video examples
Watch this if you're...
of approaching prey or predators, helping it decide whether or not to strike and strike more accurately. This comes in handy for guarding a nest— unlike most other vipers, the bushmaster lays eggs
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Karl Ove Knausgard
Norwegian Author
I guess I have a talent for humiliation, a place within me that experience can't reach, which is terrible in real life but something that comes in handy in writing. It seems as though humiliation has become a career for me.
Quote examples
Cyndi Lauper
American Musician
Before I became famous I had a very full life, and that gave me a lot to pick from. I always use everything. It always comes in handy. Working with animals... Well, I just enjoyed that. That was the most peaceful time.
Quote examples
Richard Louv
American Author
If war occurs, that positive adult contact in every shape is needed more than ever. It will be a matter of emotional life and death. There's not a handy one-minute way of talking to your kid about war.
Quote examples
Denise Austin
American Author
Inner-thigh strength is important, and not just for appearance sake. If you enjoy - or have always wanted to try - ice skating or roller blading, strong inner thighs will come in handy.
Quote examples
Martina McBride
American Musician
Not only do I know how to milk a cow, but I know how to herd a bunch of cows, too, which is a life skill that I think may come in handy someday.
Quote examples
Nancy A. Collins
American Writer
Vampires are handy characters, as they can do double duty as monster/villains and the classic, misunderstood romantic hero.
Quote examples
Stacy Brown-Philpot
American Businesswoman
The hardest moments of your life in your 20s will provide some of the greatest lessons that will come in handy later.
Quote examples
Jeff Lindsay
American Playwright
We're predators; we don't eat meat because it's handy, we eat meat because we have a taste for blood.
Quote examples
Alan Carr
English Comedian
Doing stand up helps - thinking on your feet definitely comes in handy when it's a live show.
Quote examples
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
German Writer
When ideas fail, words come in very handy.
Quote examples
Karl Ove Knausgard
Norwegian Author
I guess I have a talent for humiliation, a place within me that experience can't reach, which is terrible in real life but something that comes in handy in writing. It seems as though humiliation has become a career for me.
Quote examples
Cyndi Lauper
American Musician
Before I became famous I had a very full life, and that gave me a lot to pick from. I always use everything. It always comes in handy. Working with animals... Well, I just enjoyed that. That was the most peaceful time.
Quote examples
Richard Louv
American Author
If war occurs, that positive adult contact in every shape is needed more than ever. It will be a matter of emotional life and death. There's not a handy one-minute way of talking to your kid about war.
Quote examples
Denise Austin
American Author
Inner-thigh strength is important, and not just for appearance sake. If you enjoy - or have always wanted to try - ice skating or roller blading, strong inner thighs will come in handy.
Quote examples
Martina McBride
American Musician
Not only do I know how to milk a cow, but I know how to herd a bunch of cows, too, which is a life skill that I think may come in handy someday.
Quote examples
Nancy A. Collins
American Writer
Vampires are handy characters, as they can do double duty as monster/villains and the classic, misunderstood romantic hero.
Quote examples
Stacy Brown-Philpot
American Businesswoman
The hardest moments of your life in your 20s will provide some of the greatest lessons that will come in handy later.
Quote examples
Jeff Lindsay
American Playwright
We're predators; we don't eat meat because it's handy, we eat meat because we have a taste for blood.
Quote examples
Alan Carr
English Comedian
Doing stand up helps - thinking on your feet definitely comes in handy when it's a live show.
Quote examples
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
German Writer
When ideas fail, words come in very handy.
Example 1 of 10
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