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Handle vs Retain - What's the difference?

handle | retain |

In lang=en terms the difference between handle and retain

is that handle is to use the hands while retain is to hold secure.

As verbs the difference between handle and retain

is that handle is to use the hands while retain is to keep in possession or use.

As a noun 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 or handle can be (slang) a name, nickname or pseudonym.

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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  • retain

    English

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To keep in possession or use.
  • * Milton
  • Be obedient, and retain / Unalterably firm his love entire.
  • * 1856 : (Gustave Flaubert), (Madame Bovary), Part III Chapter XI, translated by Eleanor Marx-Aveling
  • A strange thing was that Bovary, while continually thinking of Emma, was forgetting her. He grew desperate as he felt this image fading from his memory in spite of all efforts to retain it. Yet every night he dreamt of her; it was always the same dream. He drew near her, but when he was about to clasp her she fell into decay in his arms.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham)
  • , title=(The China Governess) , chapter=1 citation , passage=The original family who had begun to build a palace to rival Nonesuch had died out before they had put up little more than the gateway, so that the actual structure which had come down to posterity retained the secret magic of a promise rather than the overpowering splendour of a great architectural achievement.}}
  • To keep in one's pay or service.
  • * Addison
  • A Benedictine convent has now retained the most learned father of their order to write in its defence.
  • To employ by paying a retainer.
  • To hold secure.
  • (obsolete) To restrain; to prevent.
  • (obsolete) To belong; to pertain.
  • * Boyle
  • A somewhat languid relish, retaining to bitterness.

    Synonyms

    * keep

    Anagrams

    * *