hand movement / handle
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hand movement
A specific, often practiced and efficient movement of the hand or hands to carry out an activity.
Mit wenigen geübten Handgriffen war der tropfende Wasserhahn repariert.
With a few practiced hand movements, the dripping faucet was repaired.
The word is made up of 'Hand' (hand) and 'Griff' (grip/handle). It can therefore mean both a 'Griff mit der Hand' (grip or movement with the hand), i.e. a movement, and a 'Griff für die Hand' (handle for the hand), i.e. a component.
Mit einem schnellen Handgriff öffnete er die Flasche.
With one quick hand movement, he opened the bottle.
You can recognize the meaning from context. If it is about an action or movement, the activity is meant. If it refers to a fixed component on an object, it is about the handle used for holding on.
Das Zusammenbauen des Regals erfordert nur wenige Handgriffe.
Assembling the shelf requires only a few hand movements.
When a movement is meant, 'Handgriff' (hand movement) is often combined with adjectives such as 'schnell' (quick), 'einfach' (simple), 'geübt' (practiced), or 'sicher' (confident/sure). It also often appears in the plural: 'mit wenigen Handgriffen' (with just a few hand movements).
Sie erledigte die Reparatur mit ein paar sicheren Handgriffen.
She completed the repair with a few confident hand movements.
The idiom 'jeder Handgriff sitzt' (every move is spot-on) is often used with the preposition 'bei' and a person in the dative. So the structure is: 'Bei [Person] sitzt jeder Handgriff.'
Beim erfahrenen Koch in der Küche sitzt jeder Handgriff.
With the experienced cook in the kitchen, every move is spot-on.
handle / grip
'der Griff' and 'der Handgriff' can both have something to do with the hand and gripping. As part of an object, they are very similar: a 'Handgriff' is simply a handle that you hold with your hand. But 'Griff' is more general and more common for the part of an object. 'Handgriff' also often means a specific, practiced hand movement, for example at work or while cooking. That is why the words can be confused: for an object, both often fit, but for a movement, you would more likely say 'Handgriff'.
Nach ein paar Tagen sitzt jeder Handgriff, und die Arbeit geht viel schneller.
After a few days, every hand movement is second nature, and the work goes much faster.
Beim Einkaufen prüft er den Griff des Koffers, weil er stabil sein muss.
When shopping, he checks the handle of the suitcase because it needs to be sturdy.