handbag(n = noun.artifact) bag, pocketbook, purse - a container used for carrying money and small personal items or accessories (especially by women); "she reached into her bag and found a comb"
a small bag usually made of cloth, leather or a similar imitation material, and often having a strap to permit carrying it by slinging it over a shoulder, used by women to carry money and small personal items or accessories; as, she had to search under the cosmetics, hankies, and medicines in her handbag to find a comb. [WordNet 1.5]
handbag, n. & v.
--n. a small bag for a purse etc., carried esp. by a woman.
--v.tr. (of a woman politician) treat (a person, idea, etc.) ruthlessly or insensitively.