Parents do nothing to discourage the pranks of their ten-year-old. His behaviour is of the worst kind. But, the parents find it adorable.
“Oh, look at him. Isn’t he a darling?” they may say.
That kid must be quite a handful, don’t you think?
A handful figuratively refers to a child who is incredibly difficult to deal with. If you were a handful when you were a toddler, then you weren’t easy!
A handful can be a literal handful too. It can be used to mean as much or as much as the hand will grasp. So, you can talk about the handful of grapes that you ate or the handful of coins you are holding.
A handful can also mean a small quantity or number. “Why is there only a handful of cars parked outside?” you could wonder, as you are passing by the church on a Sunday morning.
Now, hope that’s a handful on ‘handful’!