In 1884, Angelo Moriondo of Turin, Italy, demonstrated the first working example of an espresso machine.
HANDFUL
handful, fistful
(noun) the quantity that can be held in the hand
handful, smattering
(noun) a small number or amount; “only a handful of responses were received”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
handful (plural handfuls or handsful)
The amount that a hand will grasp or contain.
(obsolete) A hand's breadth; four inches.
A small number, usually approximately five.
A group or number of things; a bunch.
(colloquial) Something which can only be managed with difficulty.
Synonyms
• (content of a hand): fistful
• handbreadth, handsbreadth
Source: Wiktionary
Hand"ful, n.; pl. Hand flus. Etym: [AS. handfull.]
1. As much as the hand will grasp or contain. Addison.
2. A hand's breadth; four inches. [Obs.] Knap the tongs together about a handful from the bottom. Bacon.
3. A small quantity. This handful of men were tied to very hard duty. Fuller. To have one's handful, to have one's hands full; to have all one can do. [Obs.] They had their handful to defend themselves from firing. Sir. W. Raleigh.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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