manhandle
[ man-han-dl, man-han-dl ]
/ ˈmænˌhæn dl, mænˈhæn dl /
verb (used with object), man·han·dled, man·han·dling.
to handle roughly.
to move by human strength, without the use of mechanical appliances.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
- mangrove snapper,
- mangrove swamp,
- mangrum,
- mangulate,
- mangy,
- manhattan,
- manhattan beach,
- manhattan clam chowder,
- manhattan district,
- manhattan project
Origin of manhandle
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for manhandle
manhandle
/ (ˈmænˌhændəl, ˌmænˈhændəl) /
verb (tr)
to handle or push (someone) about roughly
to move or do by manpower rather than by machinery
Word Origin for manhandle
C19: from man + handle; sense 1 perhaps also influenced by Devon dialect manangle to mangle
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
manhandle
mid-15c., "wield a tool," also, late 15c., "to attack (an enemy)," from man (n.) + handle (v.). Nautical meaning "to move by force of men" (without levers or tackle) is attested from 1834, and is the source of the slang meaning "to handle roughly" (1865).
[T]he two Canalers rushed into the uproar, and sought to drag their man out of it toward the forecastle. Others of the sailors joined with them in this attempt, and a twisted turmoil ensued; while standing out of harm's way, the valiant captain danced up and down with a whale-pike, calling upon his officers to manhandle that atrocious scoundrel, and smoke him along to the quarter-deck. [Melville, "The Town-Ho's Story," "Harper's" magazine, October 1851]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper