Origins of the word Handbag.
In medieval times, women were sent to the battlefields to count the number of enemy dead. The quickest way was to cut off the soldier’s arm and put it in a bag to be counted later. Bringing the whole body back for counting was too slow and cumbersome.
Queen Elizabeth used her handbag to give signals to her courtiers.
Margaret Thatcher’s handbag was an icon of an era: a weapon wielded against opponents or unfortunate ministers. The Oxford dictionary defines the word as treating someone ruthlessly and insensitively.
