In Regency literature, both of its time
and the 20th-century homages
by such authors as Georgette Heyer,

a frequent adjective is "deedy,"
and I understand it to mean
the same thing some posts on this thread
suggest for "handy."
capability, capacity.

"Deedy," however,
is an adjective I NEVER hear outside the Regency literary context,
while "handy" persists at least in compounds like "handy man."
(Which last reminds me of a blues by Alberta Hunter,
but that's real suggestive stuff.)