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Employ vs Handle - What's the difference?

employ | handle | Related terms |

As nouns the difference between employ and handle

is that employ is the state of being an employee; employment while handle is a part of an object which is held in the hand when used or moved, as the haft of a sword, the knob of a door, the bail of a kettle, etc.

As verbs the difference between employ and handle

is that employ is to hire (somebody for work or a job) while handle is to use the hands.

employ

English

Alternative forms

* (l) (obsolete)

Noun

(en noun)
  • The state of being an employee; employment.
  • ''The school district has six thousand teachers in its employ .

    Synonyms

    * employment * hire

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To hire (somebody for work or a job).
  • * 1668 July 3rd, , “Thomas Rue contra'' Andrew Hou?toun” in ''The Deci?ions of the Lords of Council & Se??ion I (Edinburgh, 1683), page 547
  • Andrew Hou?toun'' and ''Adam Mu?het'', being Tack?men of the Excize, did Imploy ''Thomas Rue'' to be their Collector, and gave him a Sallary of 30. pound ''Sterling for a year.
  • *{{quote-book, year=1959, author=(Georgette Heyer), title=(The Unknown Ajax), chapter=1
  • , passage=Charles had not been employed above six months at Darracott Place, but he was not such a whopstraw as to make the least noise in the performance of his duties when his lordship was out of humour.}}
  • To use (somebody for a job, or something for a task).
  • * 1598 , (William Shakespeare), (Othello) , Act 1, Scene iii:
  • Valiant Othello, we must straight employ you / against the general enemy Ottoman.
  • * (Joseph Addison) (1672-1719)
  • This is a day in which the thoughtsought to be employed on serious subjects.
  • *{{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author= Charles T. Ambrose
  • , title= Alzheimer’s Disease , volume=101, issue=3, page=200, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Similar studies of rats have employed four different intracranial resorbable, slow sustained release systems—surgical foam, a thermal gel depot, a microcapsule or biodegradable polymer beads.}}
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author=(Gary Younge)
  • , volume=188, issue=26, page=18, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Hypocrisy lies at heart of Manning prosecution , passage=The dispatches […] also exposed the blatant discrepancy between the west's professed values and actual foreign policies. Having lectured the Arab world about democracy for years, its collusion in suppressing freedom was undeniable as protesters were met by weaponry and tear gas made in the west, employed by a military trained by westerners.}}
  • To make busy.
  • * 1598 , (William Shakespeare), (The Merchant of Venice) , Act 2, Scene viii:
  • Let it not enter in your mind of love: / Be merry, and employ your chiefest thoughts / to courtship and such fair ostents of love / as shall conveniently become you there

    Derived terms

    * employee * employer * employment

    handle

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) handel, handle, from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A part of an object which is held in the hand when used or moved, as the haft of a sword, the knob of a door, the bail of a kettle, etc.
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  • That of which use is made; an instrument for effecting a purpose (either literally or figuratively); a tool.
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  • (Australia, New Zealand) A 10 fl oz (285 ml) glass of beer in the Northern Territory. See also pot, middy for other regional variations.
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  • (American) A half-gallon (1.75-liter) bottle of alcohol.
  • (computing) A reference to an object or structure that can be stored in a variable.
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  • This article describes how to find the module name from the window handle .
  • (gambling) The gross amount of wagering within a given period of time or for a given event at one of more establishments.
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  • The daily handle of a Las Vegas casino is typically millions of dollars.
  • (geography, Newfoundland, and, Labrador, rare) A point, an extremity of land.
  • Handle of the Sug, Nfld.
  • (textiles) The tactile qualities of a fabric, e.g., softness, firmness, elasticity, fineness, resilience, and other qualities perceived by touch.
  • (topology) A topological space homeomorphic to a ball but viewed as a product of two lower-dimensional balls.
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  • Derived terms
    * give a handle * handlebar, handlebars * handlebody * handleless * handling * love handle

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) handlen, from (etyl) .

    Verb

  • To use the hands.
  • * Psalm 115:7:
  • They [idols made of gold and silver] have hands, but they handle not
  • To touch; to feel with the hand.
  • * Luke 24:39:
  • Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh.
  • To use or hold with the hand.
  • * :
  • About his altar, handling holy things
  • To manage in using, as a spade or a musket; to wield; often, to manage skillfully.
  • * Shakespeare, King Lear , IV-vi:
  • That fellow handles his bow like a crowkeeper
  • To accustom to the hand; to work upon, or take care of, with the hands.
  • * Sir W. Temple:
  • The hardness of the winters forces the breeders to house and handle their colts six months every year
  • To receive and transfer; to have pass through one's hands; hence, to buy and sell
  • a merchant handles a variety of goods, or a large stock
  • To deal with; to make a business of.
  • * Jeremiah, 2:8:
  • They that handle the law knew me not
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=December 16 , author=Denis Campbell , title=Hospital staff 'lack skills to cope with dementia patients' , work=Guardian citation , page= , passage=The findings emerged from questionnaires filled in by 2,211 staff in 145 wards of 55 hospitals in England and Wales and 105 observations of care of dementia patients. Two-thirds of staff said they had not had enough training to provide proper care, 50% said they had not been trained how to communicate properly with such patients and 54% had not been told how to handle challenging or aggressive behaviour.}}
  • To treat; to use, well or ill.
  • * Shakespeare, Henry VI , Part I, I-iv:
  • How wert thou handled being prisoner
  • To manage; to control; to practice skill upon.
  • * Shakespeare, Measure for Measure , V-i:
  • You shall see how I'll handle her
  • To use or manage in writing or speaking; to treat, as a theme, an argument, or an objection.
  • * :
  • We will handle what persons are apt to envy others
  • (soccer) To touch the ball with the hand or arm; to commit handball.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=February 12 , author=Les Roopanarine , title=Birmingham 1 - 0 Stoke , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=Robert Huth handled a Bentley shot, only for the offence to go unnoticed.}}
    Synonyms
    * feel * finger * touch * deal * manage * treat
    Derived terms
    * to handle without gloves: (colloquial) See under glove * mishandle

    Etymology 3

    Originally Cornish-American, from (etyl) , later hanow (pronounced han'of'' or ''han'o ).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (slang) A name, nickname or pseudonym.
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