handful

[ hand-foo l ]

/ ˈhænd fʊl /

the quantity or amount that the hand can hold: a handful of coins.

a small amount, number, or quantity: a handful of men.

Informal. a person or thing that is as much as one can manage or control: The baby's tantrums made him a handful.

Origin of handful

before 900; Middle English, Old English. See hand, -ful

See -ful.

Weiss is likely to get confirmed even as Warren and a handful of other progressive Democrats vote no.

Sen. Warren’s Main Street Crusade to Pressure Clinton |Eleanor Clift |January 8, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Rather than downing a handful of pills, I planned to take my life by opening a vein in each wrist.

Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen |Parker Molloy |January 1, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Knight lived down the street from Scalise, and had met him a handful of times at Republican Party events.

GOP Boss Gets Help From ‘White Hate’ Pal |Tim Mak |December 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
With only a handful of great directors between the two videos, Fourgrounds can keep this going for years.

Merry Christmas from the World’s Best Directors |Alex Chancey, The Daily Beast Video |December 24, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Still, a handful of centuries-old establishments have survived and housed some pretty phenomenal history.

Inside The World’s 10 Oldest Restaurants |Justin Jones |December 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
All our historians agree that one Clodowick, a Sicambrian, subjugated Gaul with a handful of barbarians.

A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 2 (of 10) |Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
Michael dashed into the group and grabbed a handful of caps which he tossed into the dusty complications of the Laocon.

Sinister Street, vol. 1 |Compton Mackenzie
Clean it well, take out the brains, rub it with a handful of salt, and two ounces of saltpetre.

The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches, |Mary Eaton
Even when most of them had accepted his leadership and were obeying his orders, a handful of desperate men refused to go.

Famous Sea Fights |John Richard Hale
Stretch out and gather a handful of an herb that will bring him back from whatever place he is in.

The Unicorn from the Stars and Other Plays |William B. Yeats

handful

/ (ˈhændfʊl) /

the amount or number that can be held in the hand

a small number or quantity

informal a person or thing difficult to manage or control