# Handy [mobile, cell phone]



## gmartinez

hi!
it's correct to say "handy" for "mobile phone" in urban languaje?
thanks
Gema


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## badgrammar

No, only in German !

Something that is "handy" in English is something that is convenient, close-by, easily accessible, very useful:

This new chainsaw is really handy (or really comes in handy) for cutting down trees...

BTW, you might say "cell" or "mobile" for your phone, and there are other ways to say it too.


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## gmartinez

Hi!
thanks! I listen that word to a german friend (talking English) and it's the reason cause I thaught it was an English word. 
I'd like to know the other ways to say "mobile".
regards


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## badgrammar

There's also "wireless".  I've heard that for cell phones.  "Call me on my wireless"...


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## heidita

Look in the urban dictionary, they have several meanings for *handy* , some really naughty (!) but they also mention

*handy - European slang for mobile phone*

Actually, in German it is the word people use. I wonder if there is a German word.


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## Alicia Translator

heidita said:
			
		

> Look in the urban dictionary, they have several meanings for *handy* , some really naughty (!) but they also mention
> 
> *handy - European slang for mobile phone*



European?? I think the dictionary should be more precise! Nobody would understand "handy" in Spain (and probably many other European countries) .... and i believe we are part of Europe!


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## maxiogee

Ireland is one of the most-mobile countries. it is reckoned that ever person in the country has a mobile (yes, I know - there are those who don't but they are made for my those who own more than one.)
We only use "mobile" here. No "cell", no "handy" -not even "mobile phone", just "mobile".


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## Silvaninha

I reckon in England we only use "mobile" as well. 

And in Norway they would definitely not understand what a "handy" is. And Norway is in Europe ..


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## gmartinez

okey dokey everybody!
I better use "mobile" than other posibility.
Thanks to all of you!
And nice weekend too!


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## badgrammar

Handy sure doesn't mean cell phone in French, either!


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## heidita

So they must think only Germany is Europe!!!!!!!!!!!

hahahaha.

See ya.


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## DaleC

gmartinez said:
			
		

> Hi!
> thanks! I listen that word to a german friend (talking English) and it's the reason cause I thaught it was an English word.
> I'd like to know the other ways to say "mobile".
> regards


 In America, African-Americans in particular say "cell", but not just them. 

I say "cell phone". 

Few if any Americans use "mobile". 

Back in Sept. 1999, I passed through Germany and Denmark. "Der Handy" was already part of the German language. I met a teenage Dane who spoke English almost like a native born American, and he had never heard of "handy" for mobile phone.


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## aridra

I have heard the following words used:
Cell - U.S.A
Mobile - Australia
Cell - India
Natel - Switzerland 

and thanks to you, I now have learnt
Handy - Germany!!

Wish they would standardize!!


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## heidita

Well, this was a new one.

Yesterday heard on the Jay Leno show, a "lady" (not really she was a he) was talking about British people always talking on their "*blackberries"* and drinking water while watching a play. Very funny.

Is it true that English people take a bottle of water to the theatre?


So new word

*blackberry* for mobile


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## badgrammar

But I think a Blackberry is a type of mobile, but a very hi-tech one... So maybe a lot of brits own blackberries, but not all mobile phones can be refered to as Blackberry... All Blackberries are mobiles, but all mobiles are not Blackberries.  What do you think?


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## maxiogee

If you ring up the speaking clock on a Blackberry, do you hear the pips?


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## TrentinaNE

badgrammar said:
			
		

> But I think a Blackberry is a type of mobile, but a very hi-tech one... So maybe a lot of brits own blackberries, but not all mobile phones can be refered to as Blackberry... All Blackberries are mobiles, but all mobiles are not Blackberries. What do you think?


Blackberry is a *brand name* of wireless communication devices, so it is not a synonym for mobile or cell-phone.  I use my Blackberry primarily for e-mail and accessing the Internet when I travel.  It has phone capabilities that have not been activated.

Elizabeth


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## MrPedantic

I mostly hear "mobile", in southern British English; and sometimes the semi-jocular "moby". "Cellphone" I never hear, except from US visitors; "portable phone" died several years ago.

I was very disappointed, when I first encountered "Handy". I had expected better.

MrP

PS I think it's "das Handy".


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## timpeac

At risk of falling out of the remit of this forum - I don't know if German "Handy" takes an umlaut, but it is certainly pronounced as if it does (well it is to my ears anyway). Another victim of the perennial German belief that the fact English dictionaries represent the letter "a" by "ae" means that it needs to be pronounced somewhere between an "a" and an "e". When will they change that bloody symbol?


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## panjandrum

I use cellphone for fun, from time to time - just to show that I know a little AE.
Mobile is the BE word - at least for the moment.


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## MrPedantic

It doesn't seem to take an umlaut in general usage.

MrP


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## elroy

timpeac said:
			
		

> At risk of falling out of the remit of this forum - I don't know if German "Handy" takes an umlaut, but it is certainly pronounced as if it does (well it is to my ears anyway). Another victim of the perennial German belief that the fact English dictionaries represent the letter "a" by "ae" means that it needs to be pronounced somewhere between an "a" and an "e". When will they change that bloody symbol?


 
It is not written with an umlaut but you are right about the pronunciation; it is pronounced "Händy."  For some reason, many Germans think that the short "a" sound in English is pronounced "ä."  The pronunciation of "Handy" is an attempt to emulate what they perceive to be the correct English pronunciation.  In reality, pronouncing it "Handy" is no less correct.  The English "a" in this case simply must be learned separately; it does not exist in German.  However, I don't know if any of this has to do with the "that bloody symbol." 

I do agree that this may be slightly beyond what this forum tolerates, but while I'm at it I'd like to point out to Dale, who said 



			
				DaleC said:
			
		

> "Der Handy" was already part of the German language


 
that it's "*das* Handy."

But back to the original question(s): In the US, almost everybody says "cell" or "cell phone" (which is normally written as two words).  Both of these derive from "cellular (tele)phone."

"Mobile" sounds British, but some Americans say it.
I have not heard "wireless" - and certainly not "handy."


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## cuchuflete

> In America, African-Americans in particular say "cell", but not just them.


This is a misleading statement.  It gives the erroneous impression that African-Americans are more apt to say cell than other Americans, when in fact, the large majority of AE speakers say cell.  A minority say cellphone.  Moble or moble phone are rare, but not unknown.


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## Sofia29

In Argentina, we use the word "handy" to refer to walkie-talkies.


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## elroy

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> This is a misleading statement. It gives the erroneous impression that African-Americans are more apt to say cell than other Americans, when in fact, the large majority of AE speakers say cell.


 
I agree completely.  I personally say "cell phone," but many, if not all, of my non-African-American friends say or have said "cell."


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## DaleC

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> This is a misleading statement. It gives the erroneous impression that African-Americans are more apt to say cell than other Americans, when in fact, the large majority of AE speakers say cell. A minority say cellphone. Moble or moble phone are rare, but not unknown.


 You may be correct. I haven't done statistical studies, and I'm not aware of any. I'm going by my experience. Here in southern California, the white people I talk to consistently say "cell phone" -- including when I *test *them by saying "cell" slowly followed by a pause, to see if they fill in "phone" -- they consistently do so. Beyond that, in 1999 I worked in a pager service call center. This was a place where you would phone into to dictate a message to be sent to a subscriber's pager. I was one of the dispatchers who would type out the dictation, then push a key to send it off. My employer subcontracted with multiple cell phone carriers to provide this message dispatching service, so we handled subscribers from all over the United States and even from Canada. Racial differences became obvious. For one thing, traffic from African-Americans was way disproportionate to the A-A proportion of the general U.S. population (12 percent). Also, only A-A callers would dictate, ". . . please call me on (my) cell . . .". 

Again, Cuchuflete may well have a more varied and decisive range of experience in this regard than I have had. It is also possible that what was originally a "black thing" has diffused into the white community -- as often happens.


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## Brioche

elroy said:
			
		

> It is not written with an umlaut but you are right about the pronunciation; it is pronounced "Händy." For some reason, many Germans think that the short "a" sound in English is pronounced "ä." The pronunciation of "Handy" is an attempt to emulate what they perceive to be the correct English pronunciation. In reality, pronouncing it "Handy" is no less correct. The English "a" in this case simply must be learned separately; it does not exist in German. However, I don't know if any of this has to do with the "that bloody symbol."


 
Actually, you will find it written _Händi_ on German websites.

Of course, the German word for Hand is Hand, and you do hold them in your Hand.


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## Pandohra

<< Mod note: added to previous thread.>>

Hi,

I've read in an article that the German word handy (mobile or cell phone) has spread and it's used in America. Can anyone confirm this? Have you ever heard or used it refering to a mobile?

Thanks!


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## Cagey

I have merged this most recent (2013) thread with the earlier thread (2006) so that people can say whether or not the answer has changed.  

Please read from the top before you post your response.

Cagey, moderator.


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## Pandohra

Sorry, I didn't see that the thread existed


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## sdgraham

Pandohra said:


> << Mod note: added to previous thread.>>
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I've read in an article that the german word handy (mobile or cell phone) has spread and it's used in America.
> 
> Can anyone confirm this? *No *
> 
> Have you ever heard or used it refering to a mobile?* Not in the USA  *



In addition, note that German, like English, is capitalized.


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## Pandohra

sdgraham said:


> In addition, note that German, like English, is capitalized.


 Noted and edited. Thanks

My text only says "Americans" so it could refer to South or Central America.


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## sdgraham

Pandohra said:


> Noted and edited. Thanks
> 
> My text only says "Americans" so it could refer to South or Central America.



For any and all practical purpose it does not.

There are a few threads here on the subject.


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## Mahantongo

Pandohra said:


> I've read in an article that the German word handy (mobile or cell phone) has spread and it's used in America. Can anyone confirm this? Have you ever heard or used it refering to a mobile?



This American, and all of the Americans he talks to, refers to the device as a "cell phone", although it is possible that some of us might understand what you meant if you spoke of a "mobile." However, absolutely none of us, under any circumstances, ever refers to this device as a "handy", and most of us would have no idea what was meant if someone spoke of a "handy"; in AE, that term is simply unknown as a synonymf or "cell phone".


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## natkretep

The term *handphone* (abbreviated to h/p on name cards) is often used in Singapore and Malaysia. This is recorded in the Collins World English Dictionary:


> *handphone *(ˈhændˌfəʊn)
> — n
> the usual SE Asian English term for mobile phone


I dare say that's more transparent than _handy_! 

But here we are internationalising fast, and _mobile (phone) _​is now the normal term.


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## fengxiao

No, only in German .


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## toygekko

"Handy" certainly isn't used in Czech. And the Czech Republic is part of Europe. We say "mobil" in Czech to talk about a "mobile phone".


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## owlman5

I hear "cellphone" or just "phone" in the U.S. these days.  I haven't heard anybody use "mobile" here, but the word may be popular elsewhere.


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## Hit Girl

owlman5 said:


> I hear "cellphone" or just "phone" in the U.S. these days.  I haven't heard anybody use "mobile" here, but the word may be popular elsewhere.



Could it be a British thing?!?


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## owlman5

It could be.  I'm not sure, but I think I've seen British members use "mobile" in this forum.

"Cellphone" is already being replaced with "phone" over here.  I suppose this is because cellphones are now so common that people don't see a need to distinguish them from old-fashioned telephones.


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## JulianStuart

Hit Girl said:


> Could it be a British thing?!?


Yes indeed it is


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## Barque

owlman5 said:


> "Cellphone" is already being replaced with "phone" over here.



It's the opposite here. Nobody seems to use the word "phone" anymore - they're just _mobiles_, or sometimes just _cells_. It feels odd being asked "What's your cell number?", like I'm a convict being questioned by a guard.


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## owlman5

That's interesting, Barque.

I vaguely recall "mobile phone" being used back in the days when they were roughly the size of a large shoe.  I still see them occasionally in movies from the 80s.


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## Hit Girl

Barque said:


> "What's your cell number?", like I'm a convict being questioned by a guard.


LOL


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## Hit Girl

natkretep said:


> I can appreciate veli's point because I think that's what happens here too. You have a contract with the mobile provider for 18 months or 24 months. When that time is up you're entitled to a new mobile. Therefore the notion of repairing doesn't come up often. If I replace this with _reconfiguring_, I would mainly use the structure of (2): _my mobile needs reconfiguring_.
> 
> _Mobile_ and _mobile phone_ are 'normal' terms here. There is also a local term _handphone_ (similar to how Germans say _Handy_). 'Cell' sounds decidedly North American.



In Korea we say 'hand-phone'!


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## natkretep

That's amazing! I know _handphone_ is used in Malaysia too, but I didn't know it was also used so far north in Korea!


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## perpend

Hit Girl and nat, do you actually say "handphone" (out loud) or a version of that in another language. Just curious.


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## Hit Girl

perpend said:


> Hit Girl and nat, do you actually say "handphone" (out loud) or a version of that in another language. Just curious.



Yes, we totally actually say 'hand-phone' out loud, but yeah, in Korean version. So we say it like 'han-du-pon'.


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## perpend

Thanks.  I appreciate it!


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## natkretep

There is a term in Malay, but it is derived from the English version.


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## perpend

What does it sound like in Malay, nat?

Hit Girl wrote "hand-du-pon" for Korean. It's understandable.


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## Englishmypassion

owlman5 said:


> I vaguely recall "mobile phone" being used back in the days when they were roughly the size of a large shoe.  I still see them occasionally in movies from the 80s.




Mobile phones/Cellphones (the smart ones) are going back to their original size -- the size of a large shoe.  But I don't think that will bring the term "mobile phone" back in currency in the USA.
As Barque said, "mobile phone" is the most common term for the thing here.


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## You little ripper!

We call them 'mobile phones' in Australia.


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