handful

Definitions

hand + -ful ('full of') = as much as one hand can hold. From this literal quantity came 'a small number,' and informally 'a handful' describes a child or task too lively to manage — more than your hands can keep hold of.

Common Collocations

• 1.a handful of一把……；少数……
• 2.only a handful仅有几个
• 3.quite a handful相当难对付

Example Sentences

• 1.

  He grabbed a handful of nuts from the bowl.

• 2.

  Only a handful of people showed up to the meeting.

• 3.

  Those twins are a real handful for their parents.