As a noun, a handle is the part of an object that you hold to move or use it. As a verb, to handle something means to touch, move, or deal with it, especially in a careful or skillful way.
From Old English “handla,” related to “hand,” it originally meant something you hold with your hand. The verb sense naturally extended to mean managing or dealing with things.
It’s neat that we still say we “can’t handle” a situation as if our hands just can’t grip it. English often turns physical actions into mental or emotional ones like this.
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