steal

the steal of any thing, the handle. S.

Steal
·noun A handle; a stale, or stele. II. Steal ·vt To gain by insinuating arts or covert means. III....

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
steal
(pronounced [stail]). The handle of various implements; as a rake-steal, a fork-steal. Used by the f...

Dictionary of American Words And Phrases by John Russell Bartlett.