Built from come in, meaning to enter or take a part in a situation, and handy, meaning useful or easy to use. Handy comes from hand plus -y, and its sense of being conveniently available dates from the 1600s.
Built from come in, meaning to enter or take a part in a situation, and handy, meaning useful or easy to use. Handy comes from hand plus -y, and its sense of being conveniently available dates from the 1600s.
What does come in handy mean?
It means to prove useful for a purpose or when a need arises.
Is come in handy informal?
Yes. It is common in conversation and ordinary writing, while prove useful is more neutral.
What is the past tense of come in handy?
The past form used in a sentence is came in handy, as in 'The map came in handy.'
Can a person come in handy?
The expression usually describes a thing, skill, fact, or amount of money, but it can also describe a person's useful help.
Is come in useful the same as come in handy?
Yes. Come in useful has the same meaning and is especially common in British English.
Does come in handy mean something is useful now?
Not always. With words such as might or could, it often predicts that something will be useful later.