Handful meaning in English

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Definition

a handful (of supporters): a small number, a small group (of supporters) nounidiom

Examples

  • "I am offering a handful of Bruno's most esteemed business associates the opportunity to come dressed as famous inmates."
  • "Anosmia may be permanent, although a handful of patients have reported a full recovery."
Exercise 1
"I am offering a handful of Bruno's most esteemed business associates the opportunity to come dressed as famous inmates."

This sentence could be rewritten as:

"I am offering of Bruno's most esteemed business associates the opportunity to come dressed as famous ."
"I am offering a handful of Bruno's most esteemed business associates the opportunity to come dressed as famous inmates."

This sentence could be rewritten as:

"I am offering a few 1 of Bruno's most esteemed business associates the opportunity to come dressed as famous prisoners 2."
1 a few: A "handful" is literally the amount of something that can be held in a hand. Example: I put a handful of sweets in my pocket. By extension, a "handful" often means a small amount, number, or quantity of something. Example: Only a handful of British people have never tasted tea!
1 many: Sorry, a "handful" is not "many" or "lots" of something!
1 one: A "handful" never describes one thing on its own. It means a small number of something, maybe 3 or 4.
2 prisoners: An "inmate" is a person who is confined in a prison or mental hospital. Example: Only a handful of inmates managed to escape from Alcatraz.
2 gangsters: A "gangster" is a member of a gang (or group) of organized criminals. Example: Mafia boss Al Capone was a gangster. Many gangsters go to jail, but "gangster" and "inmate" are not synonyms!
2 criminals: This is not the best choice here!

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