1887. Manville Fenn, This Man's Wife, ii., 15. Sir Gordon's ready to do the handsome thing.
Handsome is that handsome does, phr. (colloquial).—'Actions, not words, are the test of merit'; also ironically of ill-favoured persons.
1811. Lexicon Balatronicum. Handsome is that handsome does : a proverb frequently cited by ugly women.
Handsome-bodied in the face, adv. phr. (old).—See quot.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Handsome Bodied Man in the Face, a eering commendation of an ugly fellow.
Handsome as a last year's corpse, adv. phr. (American).—A sarcastic compliment.
Handsomely! intj. (nautical).—Gently! A cry to signify smartly, but carefully. Also Handsomely over the bricks = Go cautiously.
Handsome-reward, subs. phr.
(old).—See quot.
1811. Lexicon Balatronicum. Handsome-reward. This, in advertisements, means a horse-whipping.
Handsprings. To chuck handsprings,
verb phr. (common).—To
turn somersaults.
Handstaff, subs. (venery).—The
penis. For synonyms, see Cream-*stick
and Prick. [From that
member of the flail which is held
in the hands].
Handy. Handy as a pocket in
a shirt, phr. (American).—Very
convenient.
Handy-blows, (or cuffs), subs.
(old).—Cuffs with the hand; fisticuffs;
hence close quarters.
1603. Knolles, Hist. of the Turkes. If ever they came to handy-blows.
1690. B. E., Cant. Crew, s.v. Handy Blows, Fistycuffs.
1725. New Cant. Dict. s.v.
Handy-man, subs. (colloquial).—A
servant or workman doing odd
jobs.
1847. De Quincey, The Spanish Military Nun, Wks. (1890), xiii., 165. She was a handy girl. She could turn her hand to anything.
1872. Times, 27 Aug. 'Autumn Manœuvres.' The result is he cannot be called a handy-man.
1889. Pall Mall Gaz., 8 Nov., p. 2, c. 1. Again did Mr. Sambourne's handyman appear, this time clad in the real robes of the Lord Mayor.
1892. Hume Nisbet, Bushranger's Sweetheart, p. 55. He was a handyman.
Hang, subs. (colloquial).—1. The
general drift, tendency, or bent:
as in to get the hang of = to
get conversant with; to acquire
the trick, or knack, or knowledge
of.
1847. Darley, Drama in Pokerville, p. 67. The theatre was cleared in an instant . . . all running to get the hang of the scrape.
1848. Jones, Sketches of Travel, p. 70. By this time I began to git the hang of the place a little better.
1851. Hooper, Widow Rugby's Husband, etc., p. 64. To be efficient a solicitor must get the hang of his customers.
a. 1871. Prime, Hist. of Long Island, p. 82. If ever you must have an indifferent teacher for your children, let it be after they have got a fair start and have acquired the hang OF the tools for themselves.
1884. Milliken, Punch, 11 Oct. They ain't got the 'ang of it, Charlie the toffs ain't.
1890. Daily Chronicle, 4 Apr., p. 7 c. 2. When the Raw Cadet enters Woolwich Academy, it is sometime before he gets what some call the hang of the place.
