foralice handbags: [1] What does Encarta say?

hand·bag [hánd bàg]

(plural hand·bags)

noun

1.	U.K. Australia New Zealand Same as pursen (sense 1)
2.	traveling bag: a small light traveling bag that is easily carried by hand

purse [purss]

noun (plural purs·es)

1.	woman's bag for carrying everyday belongings: a bag that a woman or girl carries small personal day-to-day belongings in, such as keys, a wallet, a datebook, and pens
2.	U.K. Australia New Zealand Same as change purse
3.	prize money: a sum of money collected as a gift or offered as a prize, especially the total sum of money offered in prizes with a purse of over $20,000
4.	available funds: an amount of money available to spend The legislators overestimated the size of the public purse.

transitive verb (past and past participle pursed, present participle purs·ing, 3rd person present singular purs·es)

draw lips together at sides: to draw the lips together at the sides so that they wrinkle and form a circle, usually when deep in thought or to express disapproval

[13th century. Alteration of late Latin bursa <>

you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear used to emphasize the impossibility of making something of superior quality from inferior materials or beginnings

bag [bag]

noun (plural bags)

1.	flexible container: a flexible container that opens at one end and is used for carrying things
2.	amount in flexible container: the amount that can be contained in a bag, often used as a measure
3.	portable container for equipment or belongings: a portable container made of strong flexible material for carrying somebody's belongings or equipment I threw everything into a bag and rushed out.
4.	item of baggage: an item of traveler's baggage that can be carried by hand, e.g. a suitcase (often used in the plural) Did you check the bags before coming to the departure gate?
5.	purse: a woman's purse
6.	hunting number of animals shot: the number of animals shot or captured by a hunter or hunting party
7.	offensive term: an offensive term deliberately insulting a woman's age and appearance (slang insult)
8.	somebody's specialty: something that somebody is particularly interested in or good at (slang)
9.	baseball Same as base¹n (sense 7)
10.	drugs small quantity of illegal drug: a small quantity of an illegal drug in a piece of folded paper, a plastic bag, or a similar container (slang)

bags, plural noun

loose skin under eyes: prominent folds of skin beneath the eyes, often caused by fatigue

verb (past and past participle bagged, present participle bag·ging, 3rd person present singular bags)

1.	transitive verb put something in bag: to put something into a bag He spent the afternoon bagging groceries at the local supermarket.
2.	transitive and intransitive verb bulge: to bulge or become baggy, or cause something to do this
3.	transitive verb hunting shoot or capture animal: to shoot or capture a game animal or bird He bagged a six-point buck.
4.	transitive verb obtain something: to take, catch, seize, or steal something, usually in an opportunistic way (informal) They've gotten hold of our mailing list and are using it to try to bag some of our customers.

[13th century. <>baggi]
-bag·ful, noun
-bag·ger, noun

bag and baggage with all your belongings

bag of tricks

1. the resources available to achieve a goal (informal)

2. a magician's collection of equipment and props

bags of a huge amount or number of something (informal)

be left holding the bag to be left in a situation in which you are solely responsible for something because other people have abdicated their own responsibility

in the bag certain to be achieved or obtained (informal)