In horse racing and gambling parlance “the handle” is the amount of money wagered on any race, game or other event such as a boxing match. The word handle has been around for quite awhile according to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary. In the days of Middle English the spelling transposed the last two letters to handel but the meaning has not changed: “something that was made or designed to be grasped by the hand.” It is not known for sure when handle was first used in connection to horse racing, but its use is clearly understood: the amount of money that passes through the hands of bettors and bet takers.
The word has also taken on different forms; there are handlebars on bicycles and handlebar moustaches. A fairly new use is the term “political handler,” who is someone that supports a politician during an election season and beyond. Now that’s a handful!
