Englishhandful
noun
1 we've received only a handful of letters:
a small number, a small amount, a small quantity, a sprinkling, a smattering, a scattering, a trickle;
a few, one or two, several, some, not many.
▷antonyms a lot.
2 informal the child is a real handful:
nuisance, problem, bother, irritant, source of annoyance, thorn in someone's flesh, thorn in someone's side, bugbear;
informal pest, headache, pain, pain in the neck, pain in the backside, blister;
Scottish, informal nyaff, skelf;
North American, informal pain in the butt, nudnik, burr under/in someone's saddle;
Australian, informal fair cow;
Australian, New Zealand, informal nark;
British, vulgar slang pain in the arse;
North American, vulgar slang pain in the ass.
▷antonyms blessing.