also handbasket, late 15c., from hand (n.) + basket (n.). Expression hell in a handbasket is attested by 1867, in a context implying use from a few years before, and the notion of going to Heaven in a handbasket is from 1853, implying "easy passage" to the destination.
hand
hand job
hand of glory
handbag
handball
hand-basket
handbell
handbill
handbook
hand-car
hand-cloth