1892. Milliken, 'Arry Ballads, p. 32. He 'andled the ribbings to rights.
To fly off the handle. See Fly, to which add the following earlier quot.
1825. Neal, Brother Jonathan, bk. I., ch. iv. Most off the handle, some o' the tribe, I guess.
Hand-me-downs (or Hand-'em-downs),
subs. (common).—Second-hand
clothes. Hand-me-down-shop,
or Never-too-late-to-mend-shop,
= a repairing
tailors.' Fr., un decrochez-moi-ça.
1878. Notes and Queries, 5, s. ix., 6 Apr., p. 263. Hand-'em-down—A second-hand garment (Northamptonshire).
1888. New York World, 5 Mar. Russell Sage, it is said, walked into a Broadway clothing store the other day and tried on and purchased a twelve-dollar suit of hand-me-downs.
1889. Sporting Times, 29 June. Trousers which fit him nowhere in particular, and which all over proclaim themselves entitled to the epithet of hand-me-down.
English Synonyms—Reach-me-downs; translations; wallflowers.
French Synonyms.—La musique (popular); la mise-bas (servants': especially 'perks').
Hand-out, subs. (American).—Food
to a tramp at the door.
1887. Morley Roberts, The Western Avernus. Some of the boys said it was a regular hand-out, and that we looked like a crowd of old bummers.
Handpiece, subs. (American).—A
handkerchief. For synonyms,
see Wipe.
1852. Bristed, Upper Ten Thousand, p. 67. Then . . . he tied his white hand-pieces to an opening made for the purpose on one side of the dashboard.
Handsaw, subs. (common).—A
street vendor of knives and
razors; an itinerant Chive-fencer
(q.v.).
Handsome, adj. and adv. (colloquial,
and formerly literary).—Sharp,
severe; convenient, fit;
neat, graceful; dextrous, skilful,
ready; ample, generous, liberal;
manageable; in good or proper
style; and (in America) grand
or beautiful.
1553. Wilson, Arte of Rhetorique, p. 3. Phauorinus the Philosopher did hit a yong man ouer the thumbes very handsomely.
1553-99. Spenser, Wks. For a thief it is so handsome, As it may seem it was first invented by him.
1590. Goldynge, Cæsar, p. 220. They had not so handsome horses.
1593. Shakspeare, Titus Andronicus, ii., 3. If we miss to meet him handsomely.
1600. P. Holland, Livy, p. 255. A light footman's shield he takes with him, and a Spanish blade by his side, more handsome to fight short and close.
1604. Shakspeare, Winter's Tale, iv., 3. His garments are rich, but he wears them not handsomely.
1614. Raleigh, History of the World, Bk. III., ch. viii, § 6. Playing their games handsomely against so nimble a wit.
1672-1719. Addison, Wks. An alms-house, which I intend to endow very handsomely.
1778-79. V. Knox, Essays, 102. A handsome sum of money.
1798. Lodge, Illust. Brit. Hist., i., 178. He is very desyrus to serve your Grace, and seymes to me to be a very handsome man.
1848. Ruxton, Life in the Far West, p. 8. He turned on his back handsome.
To do the handsome (or the handsome thing, verb. phr. (common).—To behave extremely well; to be 'civil.'
