n. 25B6; noun
a handful of British firms : A FEW, a small number, a small amount, a small quantity, one or two, some, not many, a scattering, a trickle.
(informal) the child is a real handful : NUISANCE, problem, bother, irritant, thorn in someone's flesh/side; informal pest, headache, pain, pain in the neck/backside; Scottish informal nyaff, skelf; N. Amer. informal pain in the butt.