handler

[hand-ler] /ˈhænd lər/
noun
1.
a person or thing that handles.
2.
Boxing. a person who assists in the training of a fighter or is the fighter's second during a fight.
3.
a person who exhibits a dog in a bench show or field trial.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English. See handle, -er1
Examples from the web for handler
  • The same thing applies to the duct-work as stated for the air handler.
  • The beagle would sit next to a suspicious-smelling bag, wag his tail, look excited and then look to his handler for praise.
  • Not everyone who handles food needs a food handler's certificate.
  • When the dog cannot make a positive decision, he will look to the handler for a cue.
  • Each handler was asked to try to have their dogs find a hidden sample.
  • He changed his handler, you know, to his sister-not a good idea.
  • Within seconds, he's back at the top of the field being fed by the handler.
  • As the dog was being sent into the building he attacked the unidentified officer and did not heed his handler's command to let go.
  • The handler then moves one door clockwise or counterclockwise, and a new round starts.
  • Those items can prove too tempting for an airline baggage handler.
British Dictionary definitions for handler

handler

/ˈhændlə/
noun
1.
a person, esp a police officer, in charge of a specially trained dog
2.
a person who handles some specified thing: a baggage handler
3.
a person who holds or incites a dog, gamecock, etc, esp in a race or contest
4.
the trainer or second of a boxer

Handler

/ˈhændlə/
noun
1.
Daniel. born 1970, US writer for older children, best known for the macabre humour of his A Series of Unfortunate Events, a sequence of books written in the persona of Lemony Snicket
Word Origin and History for handler
n.

late 14c., "one who handles" anything, agent noun from handle (v.). Specific sense of "one engaged in trade" is from 1690s; that of "prizefighter's assistant" (1916) was earlier used in reference to dogfights and cockfights (1825).

Slang definitions & phrases for handler

handler

noun

A person who seconds, supports, advises, etc, a principal: Bush and his political handlers believe, as Reagan did, that the way to the people's heart is paved with unshucked corn

Related Terms

panhandler

[1950+ Prizefighting; the term was used of those who handled gamecocks, dogs, etc, by 1825]