wristful

plural wristfuls · plural wristsful

1. A quantity worn on or covering one wrist.

   Each child begins with a wristful of rubber bands.

   1982, Terry Orlick, The Second Cooperative Sports & Games Book, page 52

   4 more examples

   His main customer is known as Rat, a lean, darting, reddish man with a sniff of what could be an Irish accent and a wristful of watches.

   1973, Colin Henfrey, Manscapes: An American Journey, page 132

   lt is as well to remember that most falls are forward and downward as far as hands are concerned — and nothing is more uncomfortable than a wristful of icy snow.

   1974, Mark F. Heller, Skiing, page 68

   Every gesture of her hands flashed wristsful of sapphires

   1997, Richard Tillinghast, Today in the Café Trieste, page 13

   Kamila braided Tizzie's hair back, gave her wristfuls of bangles to wear and made up her eyes with kohl, and then she really did look different from her usual self.

   2008, Linda Newbery, Nevermore

2. The amount that can be released by a movement of the wrist

   He took a brisk wristful of whisky as she raised her glass, then looked at her with a curiously blank stare before breaking the silence.

   1985, John Broderick, The Rose Tree, page 130

   1 more example

   Apparently there's only a couple of decent wrigglers in an entire wristful. For all the macho pride and posturing of us men, most sperm just simply aren't up to it.

   1999, Ben Elton, Inconceivable, page 81

3. The amount that can be taken from a wrist.

   Mopsus, is there purpose in the pulse one gathers wristful by wristful?

   2014, James Reaney, A Suit of Nettles, page 13