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#1 2011-06-25 12:21:33

Dadge
Eggcornista
Registered: 2005-11-10
Posts: 82

handful > handle full

“Handful” is hardly difficult to work out the meaning of, but somehow thousands of people think it’s “handle full”. Not sure how you can put stuff in a handle, but there you go…

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#2 2011-06-26 05:43:10

burred
Eggcornista
From: Montreal
Registered: 2008-03-17
Posts: 1112

Re: handful > handle full

Unaccountably common and baffling. It must be an anticipation error. There are nowhere near as many substitutions of handle for hand in other common phrases, most being nonces.

The construction also shows up for “my hands full”.

My Jack Russel Loves To Toke And Eat It, I Have My Handles Full Just Trying To Keep Him Away
It is a Stoner forum after all

Here’s another interesting take on handful; it might be equally WTF. These are all the hits, I think.

And go hunt Swords of fury for a day or 2, you should end up with a handfle of Swords.
http://old.t4cbible.com/forum/showthrea … 389&page=2

Now I wonder because Subaru uses a handfle of nissan parts
http://www.rs25.com/forums/f9/83380-big … ail-3.html

Hello, this Jaeger Cardigan has only been worn a handfle of times
Ebay item

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#3 2011-06-26 13:12:02

patschwieterman
Administrator
From: California
Registered: 2005-10-25
Posts: 1680

Re: handful > handle full

I think David is right that this must be an anticipation error. As we’ve noted before, suffixes of one word are often added to the end of the word before as well (“to stopping shouting,” etc.). But if DB is right, this is a pretty amazing anticipation error, with different spellings for the two different (but more or less rhyming) suffixes.

In any case, I love “handfle”! It looks absolutely otherworldly (otherwordly?) with that four-consonant collision. But why not? If “fle” has approximately the sound of “full” in “sniffle,” “snuffle,” “whiffle,” etc., it should be a more widely available spelling option. There are others; I found “helpfle,” for instance:

its easy to use and very helpfle when doing a lot of thing depending on which version you use..
http://www.macgamingmods.com/forum/view … 51&start=0

And “fle” is more common and less weird-looking when proceeded by a vowel sound; “beautifle” is relatively common:

I just think she is a great actress and singer overall. and a very beautifle one.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/s … google.com

you are flawless. very very beautifle girl! im sure you hear that alot but I MEAN IT.
;)http://www.myspace.com/wwedivatorriewil … 3A8816407}

Last edited by patschwieterman (2011-06-26 13:17:46)

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