handout

Deverbal from hand out.^[1]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈhændaʊt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhændˌaʊt/
• Hyphenation: hand‧out

handout (plural handouts)

1. An act of handing out something.
   1. (US, card games, archaic, rare) An act of dealing playing cards; a deal.
3. A printed sheet such as a leaflet or pamphlet, or a worksheet, that is given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use, for example as an advertisement or for information.
   • 2010, Jeane W. Anastas, “Teaching Courses: Methods and Modalities”, in Teaching in Social Work: An Educators’ Guide to Theory and Practice, New York, N.Y.; Chichester, West Sussex: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 39:

     Therefore, it is often recommended that the framework or outline for a lecture be provided to students on the chalkboard or in a handout so they can more easily follow the logic as the lecture progresses.

   1. Synonym of press release (“an official written statement that is sent to the media so that it can be publicized”)
5. (often derogatory) A gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor.

   Synonym: (South Africa) bonsella

   • 1917 (date written), Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Oakdale Affair”, in The Blue Book Magazine, Chicago, Ill.: Story-press Corp., published March 1918, →OCLC; republished Doylestown, Pa.: Wildside Press, 2003, →ISBN, page 19:

     We ain't runnin' no day nursery. These you see here is all the real thing. Maybe we asks fer a handout now and then; but that ain't our reg'lar lay.

   • 1925, Willa Cather, chapter III, in The Professor’s House, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, →OCLC, book II (Tom Outland’s Story), page 196:

     They dropped old Henry at Tarpin, where he soon drank up all his wages. When Rapp picked him up there, he was living on hand-outs.

   • 1998 January 18, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, The Big Lebowski‎^[1], spoken by Jeffrey “The Big” Lebowski (David Huddleston), United States: Gramercy Pictures; PolyGram Films International, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-07-04:

     You're just looking for a handout like every other—are you employed, Mr. Lebowski?

   • 2009, Chloe Schwenke, “Introduction”, in Reclaiming Value in International Development: The Moral Dimensions of Development Policy and Practice in Poor Countries, Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, Greenwood Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 1:

     A woman, dressed in simple and worn clothes, holding a very young and rather dirty looking baby, was seeking a handout.

   • 2022 August 6, Geneva Abdul, “Liz Truss rejects ‘handouts’ as way to tackle cost of living crisis”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎^[2], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-07-08:

     With mounting pressure as households face a financial squeeze, the foreign secretary rejected handouts and insisted on tax cuts costing more than £30bn as the country spirals towards a recession. "Of course I will look at what more can be done," [Liz] Truss told the Financial Times. "But the way I would do things is in a Conservative way of lowering the tax burden, not giving out handouts."

   1. (by extension) Something obtained without effort; a gift, a present.

      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:gift

      • 2014 November 2, Daniel Taylor, “Sergio Agüero strike wins derby for Manchester City against 10-man United”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian‎^[3], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-06-14:

        They [Manchester United] had contributed heavily to their own downfall, most glaringly with the senselessness of Chris Smalling's red card, and they should know by now that Manuel Pellegrini's team are not the kind of opponents to pass up these kind of handouts.

In current use, sense 3 (“gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor”) often carries the derogatory connotation that the recipient does not deserve the gift.^[1]

• hand-out

• hand-out (“(racquets, real tennis, squash) player to whom a ball is served”)
• have one's hand out

• → German: Handout

handout (not comparable)

1. Of a thing: given out free of charge, usually by hand.
2. Of or pertaining to the giving of handouts (gifts of money or material assistance, printed sheets, etc.).

• hand-out

• handout on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

handout m (plural handouts)

1. (unofficial) Alternative spelling of hand-out.