# handy

/ˈhændi/ (US) · /hˈændi/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/handy
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. useful

adjective · CEFR B1

useful or convenient for a particular purpose.

For teachers: convenient or useful for a specific task or situation.

- This little tool is very handy for opening tight jars.
- The digital tablet proved incredibly handy during the conference, allowing the researcher to annotate documents while standing in the exhibition hall.

### 2. nearby

adjective · CEFR B1

located close by or easy to reach.

For teachers: situated within easy reach or in a convenient location.

- I always keep a flashlight handy in case the power goes out.
- The apartment is perfectly situated with several grocery stores and a major transit hub handy for daily commuting.

Usage: Often used with the verb 'keep' or 'have'.

### 3. skilful

adjective · CEFR B2

good at doing things with your hands, like fixing or building things.

For teachers: dexterous or skilful in manual work or repairs.

- My brother is very handy and fixed my broken chair in ten minutes.
- Being naturally handy, she spent her weekends restoring old furniture and installing custom shelving in her studio.

Usage: Usually describes a person.

### 4. mobile phone

noun · CEFR C1 · Dialect

a word for a mobile phone, used mostly by German speakers when speaking English.

For teachers: a pseudo-anglicism used primarily by German speakers to refer to a mobile telephone.

- He asked if I had seen his handy, but I told him we call it a phone.
- The student, who was from Berlin, mistakenly used the term 'handy' during his presentation instead of 'mobile phone'.

Teaching tip: This is a classic 'false friend' for German learners; teachers should clarify that it is not used in the UK, US, or other English-speaking regions.

### 5. sexual act

noun · CEFR C2 · Slang · Vulgar

a very informal and rude word for a sexual act using the hand.

For teachers: a vulgar slang term for manual stimulation of the genitals.

- The movie was full of crude jokes about handies.
- The comedian's set relied heavily on vulgar references to handies, which alienated a large portion of the audience.

Teaching tip: Advise students that this is highly informal and potentially offensive; it should be avoided in all but the most casual or crude contexts.

## Examples

- This little tool is very handy for opening boxes.
- Keep a flashlight handy in the kitchen drawer in case the power goes out during a storm.
- While he lacked formal training in carpentry, he was remarkably handy around the house and managed to renovate the entire guest room himself.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.