[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/handy.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / handy

[← H](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/H/)

# handy

«handy» in Mova's school dictionary: **Useful and easy to use** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 2 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (handy, handier, handiest)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Useful and easy to use. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handy/#m1)

2) Near and easy to reach: «Keep a torch handy». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handy/#m2)

3) Good at doing things with your hands. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handy/#m3)

4) «come in handy»: be useful later. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handy/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In everyday life: «a handy tip», «handy for the shops» (close by). In safety: keep a first-aid kit handy. «Come in handy» is very common in speech.

### examples

- This pocket knife is really handy. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handy/#x1)
- Keep your water bottle handy. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handy/#x2)
- Our house is handy for the school. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handy/#x3)
- Dad is handy with tools. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handy/#x4)
- Save the string — it might come in handy. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handy/#x5)
- Here's a handy tip for long division. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handy/#x6)
- "I am not taking the hammer because I think there is something there," said he, "but it is handy for breaking the large lumps of coal." [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handy/#x7)

### note

Comparative: handier, handiest. Informal but widely used. «Handyman» = a person who does repairs.

### In the corpora

- [English has one handy «yes» and one «no».](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chinese-street/4-yes-and-no/0/)
- [A handy trick to practise it: say "k", then slide back into a soft, breathy scrape.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/3/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «handy» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handy/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.
