to come in handy
79
2.8
- phrasal verb
- Having a map on your phone can come in handy during a road trip.
- skills come in handy
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Watch on YouTubeYeah, this, this would have come in handy in high school.
- Yeah, this, this would have come in handy in high school.
- Nor VPN and a VPN can come in handy many times.
- Madonna's notorious for her glute work, which clearly comes in handy in a fall like that.
- So this rather unexpected spin off, excuse the pun, might come in handy for building bigger quantum computers.
- This little lamp thing, you know, came in handy at night because it does get pitch black out here.
- Oh my gosh, those bicep curls come in handy.
- Wow, those karate classes really came in handy.
Examples
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I knew that lifesaving class would come in handy.
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I knew keeping this key would come in handy one day.
Fiction book (1999) -
Yeah, these are going to come in handy for a build like this.
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Yeah, this, this would have come in handy in high school.
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So this will come in handy somewhere around here.
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And it's, it comes in handy in lots of different circumstances.
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Could come in handy in the future.
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This will come in handy.
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I'm sure it will come in handy.
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Well, it comes in handy when I'm doing a bit of research for one of my books.
Synonyms
∞
1.8
To be used for a specific purpose or to help achieve something
3
3.5
Be useful to someone when they need it
Antonyms
How Useful
79
2.8
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to be useful' is directly derivable from the constituents: 'come' (to arrive/ become) + 'in' (into/within) + 'handy' (useful), expressing the idea of something 'becoming useful'. This compositional pattern is common and mirrors equivalent constructions in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the parts will likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
The phrase come in handy paints a simple picture: something comes into your hand, ready to use. That's why it means 'useful'.