🛠️ To manage ☕ A part to hold 🤲 To touch or hold 💻 A username 🗣️ To discuss 🐕 To train an animal

to handle

1 7.5

Train and present an animal at shows or competitions

verb
/ˈhændl/

Jargon

: presentar

I was really impressed, the way you handled that stallion.
trained to handle
methods for handling
ways to handle

And I met up with two young guys there and I said, oh, look, I'd like to learn how to handle a wild baboon.

Examples

But we know how to handle cats like Shorty.

Candy (2017)
I can handle the lion.

Prey (2022)
You handle a horse and lance like a knight.

Prince Valiant (1954)
Students should be reminded to handle animals with gloves to avoid bites.

Academic text (1996)
I was watching you earlier, and you handle them all very lovingly; they couldn't ask for more.

Fiction book (1991)
At the competition, the trainer expertly handled the horse, showcasing its best traits to the judges.
She knew how to handle the aggressive dog, calming it down before the demonstration.
During the event, he handled the falcon with care, ensuring it looked its best for the audience.

Antonyms

to abandon

607 3.1

Leave someone or something behind permanently and without care

neglect

94 3.5

Not caring for someone or something that needs care

Idioms

to fly off the handle

Informal

8 6.8

To suddenly become very angry

to handle with kid gloves

Informal

3 7.0

Treat someone very gently to avoid upsetting them

too hot to handle

Informal

2 7.7

A subject that is too difficult or risky to deal with

Phrasal Verbs

to have a handle on

20 4.2

To understand something well enough to deal with it

to handle with care

8 3.5

To treat someone or something gently to avoid harm

to handle a situation

5 3.2

To deal with a problem or difficult event well

to handle with ease

1 3.3

Deal with a task or problem easily and with confidence

to crank the handle

1 3.7

Turn a handle by hand to make a machine start or work

to handle oneself

1 5.4

To act calmly and correctly in difficult or stressful situations

to handle your dickery

Offensive

9.9

To accept someone's annoying or foolish behavior without complaining

Compounds

love handle

Informal

10 3.9

A small roll of fat at the sides of the waist

broom handle

3 1.0

A long stick used to hold and move a broom

ax handle

3 2.5

A wooden or metal stick you hold to use an ax

mop handle

1 1.0

A long stick attached to a mop used for holding and moving it while cleaning

rake handle

1 2.5

A long stick used to hold a garden tool for moving leaves

crank handle

1 4.9

A piece you turn by hand to start an engine or make a machine work

handle-bars

1 7.4

A large bushy moustache with long ends that curl or hang beside the mouth

basket-handle arch

Specialized

8.2

An arch with a wide, flat curve made from parts of three circles, often used in bridges and large buildings

knife-handle

9.9

A small sea clam with a long narrow curved shell like the handle of a knife

starting handle

Specialized

8.8

A metal crank you put into an engine and turn by hand to make it run

How Skillful

to master

181 4.1

to handle

Jargon

1 7.5

to mishandle

35 4.9

Surface Forms

handle infinitive

handled past

handled past participle

handling present participle

handles third person singular

Morphology

handle = hand (semi-transparent) = hand + le

The sense of training or presenting an animal extends from controlling/managing with the hands; the relation is clear but somewhat specialized.

Etymology

Handle comes from hand meaning 'hand' and grew to mean 'to control by touch or skill'. That's why to handle show animals means to train and present them carefully.