a handle to (one's) name
A sobriquet, title, or designation. Big guys always seem to have things like "Tiny" as a handle to their name. Now that you've got your PhD, you've got a handle to your name, doctor! A: "Anyone in the medical field with a handle to their name really likes for you to use it." B: "Well, I suppose they did sink a lot of money into getting it."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
handle to one's name
A nickname or title, as in He was knighted and now had a handle to his name, or His gluttony earned him a handle to his name, Big Mouth. [First half of 1800s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.