Barney Duff could be handy

I believe the answer is:

nearby

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'handy' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'barney duff could' is the wordplay.
'barney' anagrams to 'NEARBY'.
Though, I'm not clear how this is indicated.

'be' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for nearby that I've seen before include "Around the corner" , "Barney (anag)" , "[OPPOSITE OF] miles away" , "Locally" , "Adjacent" .)

I've seen this clue in the Irish Times.

Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app