The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 12 letter word NOMENCLATURE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
N
O
M
E
N
C
L
A
T
U
R
E
More clues leading to the result NOMENCLATURE
- Terminology set out in lecture on Man
- Toilet in all-female preserve being given handle?
- Only women can be cruel at name-calling
- Women only, a disturbing cult with differences about terminology
- Evidently women only troubled at cruel name-calling?
- Women-only therapy involving muscle handling?
- Naming compiler in terrible rant on clue
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "handle" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case handle = nomenclature.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does NOMENCLATURE mean?
NOMENCLATURE noun- A set of rules used for forming the names or terms in a particular field of arts or sciences.
- A set of names or terms.
- A name.