help ( someone ) out to help some- one do something; to help some- one with a problem. hem ["hEm] 1. n. the folded and sewn edge of a piece of cloth. 2. tv. to make a nice, even edge on a piece of cloth by folding and sewing. hemisphere ["hEm @s fIr] 1. n. half of a sphere; half of a ball. 2. n. one of two halves of the earth. hen ["hEn] n. a female bird, espe- cially a female chicken. → (as) mad as a wet hen → (as) scarce as hens’ teeth → scarcer than hens’ teeth her ["h#] 1. pron. an objective form of she, referring to females. (Used after prepositions and as the object of verbs.) 2. pron. an objec- tive form of she, referring to ships and certain countries. (Also other informal uses.) 3. pron. a posses- sive form of she, referring to females. (Used as a modifier before a noun. Compare this with hers.) → give the devil her due herb ["#b] n. a plant whose seeds or leaves are used for flavoring food or for medicines. herd ["h#d] 1. n. a large group of cattle or other similar large ani- mals such as elk, buffalo, zebra, elephants, etc. 2. tv. to cause a large group of people or animals to move together. 3. tv. to take care of cattle, sheep, or other groups of animals. 4. iv. to form into a group; to move as a group. here ["hIr] 1. adv. in, at, to, or from the location of the speaker or writer who uses this word. 2. adv. now; at this point in time or in a process. 3. adv. a form that begins a sentence and is followed by a verb, which then is followed by the subject of the sentence. (Often used to point out or offer some- thing. Takes be, go, stand, rest, or a similar verb.) 4. n. this place. Here’s to someone or something. an expression used as a toast to someone or something to wish someone or something well. heritage ["hEr I tIdZ] n. the cultural background of a group of people. (No plural.) hermit ["h# mIt] n. someone who moves away from society and who lives alone. hero ["hIr o] 1. n. someone who is honored and respected for bravery or courage. (Compare this with heroine. Plural ends in -es.) 2. n. the main male character in a story, movie, or play. (See also heroine. Plural ends in -es.) heroic [hI "ro Ik] adj. courageous; brave; valiant. (Adv: heroically [ Ik li].) heroine ["hEr o In] 1. n. a brave and courageous woman; a woman who does heroic actions. (Compare this with hero.) 2. n. the main female character in a story, movie, or play. (See also hero.) hers ["h#z] pron. a possessive form of she. (Used in place of a noun. Compare this with her.) herself [h# "sElf] 1. pron. the reflexive form of she. (Used after a verb or a preposition when the subject of the sentence is the same female to which the pronoun help (someone) out 266 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 266 TLFeBOOK refers.) 2. pron. an emphatic form of she. (Follows the nominal that is being emphasized.) → by herself he’s ["hiz] 1. cont. he is. 2. cont. he has. (Where has is an auxiliary.) hid ["hId] past tense of hide. hidden ["hId n] Past participle of hide. hide ["haId] 1. tv., irreg. to place something out of view; to place something so that it cannot be seen; to conceal something. (Past tense: hid; past participle: hidden.) 2. iv., irreg. to place oneself so that one cannot be seen; to conceal oneself. 3. n. the skin of an ani- mal, especially when used to make leather. → go into hiding → neither hide nor hair hide one’s head in the sand Go to bury one’s head in the sand. hide one’s light under a bushel to conceal one’s good ideas or tal- ents. (A biblical theme.) hide out (from someone or some- thing ) to hide oneself so that one cannot be found by someone or something. hide someone or something away ( someplace ) to conceal someone or something somewhere. high ["haI] 1. adj. far above the ground; further above than aver- age; not low. (Comp: higher; sup: highest.) 2. adj. extending a cer- tain distance upward; at or reach- ing a particular distance above the ground or above sea level. (Follows the measure of height. Comp: higher; sup: highest.) 3. adj. great in power, rank, or importance. (Adv: highly. Comp: higher; sup: highest.) 4. adj. [of heat, number, pitch, price, velocity, intelligence, standards, etc.] great or strong, or greater or stronger than what is normal or average. (Adv: highly. Comp: higher; sup: highest.) 5. n. the top point; a peak. 6. adv. to or at a place that is far up. (Comp: higher; sup: highest.) → (as) high as a kite → (as) high as the sky → act high-and-mighty → hold someone in high regard → hunt high and low for someone or something → leave someone high and dry → run high → search high and low for someone or something high heels ["haI "hilz] n. women’s shoes having long or tall heels. (Treated as plural, but not counta- ble. Can be shortened to heels.) high school ["haI skul] 1. n. a school for students who have fin- ished the lower grades of school. 2. the adj. use of Q. (Hyphen- ated.) highly ["haI li] the adv. form of high E; very much. (Comp: higher; sup: highest.) highway ["haI we] n. a main road—especially one designed for high speed—used to get from one city to another. hike ["haIk] 1. n. a long walk, espe- cially in the woods, mountains, etc. 2. iv. to travel or walk as in Q. hike something up to raise some- thing, such as prices, interest rates, a skirt, pants legs, etc. hike something up 267 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 267 TLFeBOOK hiker ["haIk #] n. someone who hikes. hill ["hIl] 1. n. a raised part of the earth’s surface, smaller than a mountain. 2. n. a heap or mound of soil, especially one made by an animal. → over the hill hilltop ["hIl tap] n. the top of a hill. him ["hIm] 1. pron. an objective form of he Q. (The pronoun used to refer to males. Used after prepositions and as the object of verbs.) 2. pron. an objective form of he W. (Used when the sex of a grammatical object of a verb or preposition is unimportant, inde- terminate, undetermined, or irrel- evant. Objected to by some as actually referring only to males in this sense. See also them W.) himself [hIm "sElf] 1. pron. the reflexive form of he Q. (Used after a verb or a preposition when the subject of the sentence is the same male to which the pronoun refers.) 2. pron. the reflexive form of he W. (Used after a verb or a preposition when the sex of the subject of the sentence is unim- portant, indeterminate, undeter- mined, or irrelevant. This sense is objected to by some as actually referring only to males.) 3. pron. an emphatic form of him. (Follows the nominal being emphasized.) → by himself hind ["haInd] adj. positioned at the rear or back of something. (Prenominal only.) hinge ["hIndZ] n. a jointed device that fits two things together so that one of the things, such as a door or gate, can move. hinge (up)on someone or some- thing to depend on someone or something; to depend on what someone or something does. hint ["hInt] 1. n. a clue; a suggestion that helps solve a puzzle or answer a question. 2. n. a small trace; a little bit of something; a small amount. 3. tv. to suggest Q; to provide Q. (The object is a clause with that U.) hip ["hIp] 1. n. the joint that con- nects the leg with the body; the area on each side of the body, below the waist, where the leg joins the trunk of the body. 2. adj. in style; fashionable. (Older slang. Comp: hipper; sup: hippest.) → shoot from the hip hippopotami [hIp @ "pat @ maI] a plural of hippopotamus. hippopotamus [hIp @ "pat @ m@s] n., irreg. a large, round-shaped African mammal that lives in and near rivers, having thick skin and very little hair. (Plural: hippopota- muses or hippopotami.) hire ["haI#] tv. to employ someone at a job; to pay someone to do work. → not for hire hire someone away (from some- one or something ) [for one] to get someone to quit working for someone or something and begin working for one. his ["hIz] 1. pron. the possessive form of he, referring to a male who has already been mentioned. (Comes before a noun.) 2. pron. the possessive form of he, refer- hiker 268 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 268 TLFeBOOK ring to a male who has already been mentioned. (Used in place of a noun.) 3. pron. the possessive form of he, referring to a person who has already been mentioned. (Used when the sex of the person referred to is unimportant, inde- terminate, undetermined, or irrel- evant. Objected to by some as referring only to males in this sense. See also their W.) 4. pron. the possessive form of he, refer- ring to a person who has already been mentioned. (Used in place of a noun. Used when the sex of the person referred to is unimportant, indeterminate, undetermined, or irrelevant. Objected to by some as actually referring only to males in this sense.) hiss ["hIs] 1. n. the sound that a snake makes; a long s sound. 2. iv. to make Q. history ["hIs t@ ri] 1. n. the study of events that have happened. (No plural.) 2. n. a record of events that have happened. 3. n. back- ground; facts about the past of someone or something. → go down in history hit ["hIt] 1. tv., irreg. to strike some- one or something; to contact someone or something violently or with force. (Past tense and past participle: hit.) 2. tv., irreg. to reach something. 3. n. someone or something that is very successful. 4. n. [in baseball] a play where the batter hits as in Q the ball with a bat and is able to get to a base safely. 5. adj. [of music or per- formances] popular. (Prenominal only.) → make a hit (with someone or something ) hit a happy medium Go to strike a happy medium. hit a plateau to reach a higher level of activity, sales, production, output, etc., and then stop and remain unchanged. hit a snag to run into a problem. hit a sour note Go to strike a sour note. hit back (at someone or some- thing ) 1. to strike someone or something back. 2. to retaliate against someone or something; to get even with someone or some- thing for doing something wrong. hit bottom to reach the lowest or worst point. hit home and strike home to really make sense; [for a com- ment] to make a very good point. hit it off (with someone ) to start a good and friendly relationship with someone from the first meet- ing. hit someone hard to affect some- one’s emotions strongly. hit ( someone ) like a ton of bricks to surprise, startle, or shock some- one. hit someone (right) between the eyes to become completely apparent; to surprise or impress someone. hit someone (up) for something to ask someone for the loan of money or for some other favor. (Colloquial.) hit something off to begin some- thing; to launch an event. hit something off 269 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 269 TLFeBOOK hit the bull’s-eye to achieve the goal perfectly. hit the nail (right) on the head to do exactly the right thing; to do something in the most effective and efficient way. hit the spot to be exactly right; to be refreshing. hit (up)on someone or something 1. to discover someone or some- thing. 2. to strike or pound on someone or something. (Collo- quial.) hitch a ride Go to thumb a ride. hive ["haIv] n. the box, container, or structure that bees live in. (See also beehive.) a hive of activity the location where things are very busy. hives n. any one of various skin dis- eases characterized by a rash. (Treated as singular or plural, but not countable.) hobby ["hab i] n. an activity that is done in one’s spare time; an activ- ity that one likes to do. hobo ["ho bo] n. a tramp; someone who travels from city to city look- ing for food or work. (Usually male. Plural ends in -s or -es.) Hobson’s choice the choice between taking what is offered and getting nothing at all. (From the name of a stable owner in the seventeenth century who offered customers the hire of the horse nearest the door.) hockey ["hak i] n. a game, played on ice, where skaters try to hit a rubber disk into a goal area. (No plural.) hoe ["ho] 1. n. a garden tool con- sisting of a small blade attached to a long handle, used to remove weeds or to break up soil. 2. tv. to use Q on something; to remove weeds or break up soil with Q. → a tough row to hoe hog ["hOg] 1. n. a full-grown pig, especially one raised for food or to produce young. 2. n. someone who is very greedy or messy. (Fig- urative on Q.) 3. tv. to take more than one’s fair share of something. (Informal.) → road hog hoist ["hoIst] 1. n. a device for lift- ing heavy things. 2. tv. to raise something using ropes or chains. hold ["hold] 1. tv., irreg. to keep someone or something in one’s arms or hands. (Past tense and past participle: held.) 2. tv., irreg. to support the weight of someone or something; to bear the weight of someone or something. 3. tv., irreg. to grasp something so it remains in a certain position. 4. tv., irreg. to reserve something; to set something aside, waiting for further action. 5. tv., irreg. to con- tain something; to have enough room for something. 6. tv., irreg. to cause an event to take place. 7. tv., irreg. to retain a certain position or condition. 8. tv., irreg. to restrain someone or something; to keep someone or something under control. 9. iv., irreg. to with- stand a strain; not to break under pressure. 10. iv., irreg. to remain connected to a telephone line while one’s call has been tem- porarily suspended—so the caller or the person who was called can hit the bull’s-eye 270 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 270 TLFeBOOK talk on another telephone line. 11. n. a grasp; a grip. 12. n. a good or secure grasp of something. 13. n. the place in a ship or plane where cargo is stored. → can’t hold a candle to someone → Don’t hold your breath. → have a hold on someone → leave someone holding the baby → leave someone holding the bag → put a hold on something hold back (on something ) to with- hold something; to give only a lim- ited amount. hold forth (on someone or some- thing ) to speak at great length about someone or something. hold off ((from) doing something ) to avoid doing something; to post- pone doing something. hold on 1. to wait. (Often a com- mand.) 2. to be patient. (Often a command.) hold on (to someone or something ) Go to hang on (to someone or some- thing ). hold one’s ground Go to stand one’s ground. hold one’s head up to have self- respect; to retain or display one’s dignity. hold one’s own to do as well as anyone else. hold one’s peace to remain silent. hold one’s temper Go to keep one’s temper. hold one’s tongue to refrain from speaking; to refrain from saying something unpleasant. hold out to endure; to last; to sur- vive. hold out (against someone or something ) to continue one’s defense against someone or some- thing. hold out (for someone or some- thing ) to insist on getting someone or something; to refuse to accept less than someone or something. (Informal.) hold out the olive branch to offer to end a dispute and be friendly; to offer reconciliation. (The olive branch is a symbol of peace and reconciliation. A bibli- cal reference.) hold someone hostage to keep someone as a hostage. hold someone in high regard to have very great respect for some- one or something; to admire someone or something greatly. hold someone or something down 1. to keep someone, something, or some creature down. 2. to prevent someone or something from advancing. hold someone or something off 1. to make someone or something wait. 2. and keep someone or something off to resist and attack by someone or something. hold someone or something out (of something ) 1. to keep someone or something out of something. 2. to set someone or something aside from the rest; to prevent someone or a group from participating. hold someone or something over to keep a performer or performance for more performances. (Because the performance is a success.) hold someone or something over 271 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 271 TLFeBOOK hold someone or something up 1. to keep someone or something upright. 2. to rob someone or a group. 3. to delay someone or something. hold someone’s attention to keep someone’s attention; to keep someone interested. hold something out (to someone ) to offer something to someone. hold the fort to take care of a place, such as a store or one’s home. hold true [for something] to be true; (for something) to remain true. hold up (for someone or some- thing ) to wait; to stop and wait for someone. hold up (on someone or some- thing ) to delay or postpone further action on someone or something. hold up one’s end (of the bar- gain) to do one’s part as agreed; to attend to one’s responsibilities as agreed. hold water to be able to be proved; to be correct or true. holder ["hold #] n. something that holds something; something that keeps something in a certain posi- tion. holdup ["hold @p] 1. n. a robbery, especially one committed with a gun; a stickup. 2. n. a delay; the reason that something is not mov- ing properly. hole ["hol] n. an opening made in or through a solid object; an open- ing in the surface of something. → a square peg in a round hole → in the hole → Money burns a hole in someone’s pocket. → out of the hole → poke a hole in something → poke a hole through something → punch a hole in something a hole in one 1. an instance of hit- ting a golf ball into a hole in only one try. (From the game of golf.) 2. an instance of succeeding the first time. holiday ["hal @ de] 1. n. a period of time when most businesses and schools are closed in honor of someone or something. 2. n. a holy day; a religious celebration. holier-than-thou excessively pious; acting as though one is more virtuous than other people. hollow ["hal o] 1. n. an open space inside an object; a cavity. 2. n. a small valley; a sunken area of land. 3. adj. having an open space inside; not solid. (Adv: hollowly. Comp: hollower; sup: hollowest.) 4. adj. sunken. (Adv: hollowly. Comp: hollower; sup: hollowest.) hollow something out to make the inside of something hollow. holster ["hol st#] n. a fabric or leather case for a gun, worn on the body or attached to a saddle. holy ["hol i] adj. sacred; associated with divine matters. (Comp: holier; sup: holiest.) homage ["am IdZ] praise, respect, and honor. → pay homage to someone home ["hom] 1. n. the place where one lives; one’s house or apart- ment. 2. n. the place where some- one was born; the place that someone comes from; the place hold someone or something up 272 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 272 TLFeBOOK where someone grew up. 3. n. an institution or building where peo- ple who need special care live. 4. n. a place where something is found, based, or located; a place where something originated or was invented. 5. the adj. use of Q, W, E, or R. 6. adv. at Q or W; to Q or W. → chickens have come home to roost → come home (to roost) → eat someone out of house and home → funeral home → hammer something home → hit home → keep the home fires burning → make oneself at home → strike home home in (on someone or some- thing ) to aim directly at someone or something. home office ["hom "Of Is] 1. n. the central office of a company. 2. n. an office in one’s home. home on(to something ) to aim directly at something; to fix some type of receiver on a signal source. homemaker ["hom mek #] n. a person who manages a home, especially a married woman who manages her home and, possibly, children. homeowner ["hom o n#] n. some- one who owns a home. homesick ["hom sIk] adj. sad and depressed because one is away from one’s home. homework ["hom w#k] 1. n. schoolwork that is to be com- pleted at home or elsewhere out- side the school building. (No plural.) 2. n. preparation that should be done before a meeting or discussion. (Figurative on Q. No plural.) honest ["an @st] 1. adj. always telling the truth; not lying; able to be trusted. (Adv: honestly.) 2. adj. obtained fairly and legally; not stolen. (Adv: honestly.) 3. adj. sin- cere; appearing fair and Q. (Adv: honestly.) honesty ["an Is ti] n. the quality of being honest; truthfulness. (No plural.) honey ["h^n i] n. a sweet, sticky substance made by bees. (Plural only for types and instances.) honeymoon ["h^n i mun] 1. n. the vacation that two newly married people take after the wedding. 2. n. a calm period of good busi- ness or political relations, espe- cially right after someone new has come to power. The honeymoon is over. a phrase said when the early, pleasant beginning of something has ended. honk ["hONk] 1. n. the sound made by a horn or a goose. 2. iv. to make the sound of a horn or a goose. 3. tv. to sound a horn; to cause a horn to make a noise. honor ["an #] 1. n. the respect or regard shown to someone or something. (No plural.) 2. n. char- acter and integrity; honesty and fairness; a way of being that earns trust. (No plural.) 3. n. a pleasure; a privilege. 4. tv. to hold someone in high regard; to respect some- one. 5. tv. to make a payment as agreed; for a bank to accept a honor 273 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 273 TLFeBOOK check and pay out the money that the check was written for. → do the honors → guest of honor → on one’s honor honor someone’s check to accept someone’s personal check. hood ["hUd] 1. n. a covering for the head and neck, sometimes attached to a coat and sometimes also covering the face. 2. n. the metal panel that covers the top of the front of a car. hoof ["hUf, "huf] n., irreg. the hard part on the bottom of the foot of a horse, deer, and certain other ani- mals. (Plural: hooves.) hook ["hUk] 1. n. a bent or curved piece of plastic, wood, wire, or metal, used to catch, pull, or hold something. 2. n. [in boxing] a short blow given while one’s elbow is bent. 3. tv. to catch and pull something with Q. → get ( someone ) off the hook → get off the hook → let someone off (the hook) hook in(to something ) to connect into something. hook someone or something up (to someone or something ) and hook someone or something up (with someone or something ) to attach someone or something to someone or something. hook someone or something up (with someone or something ) Go to hook someone or something up (to someone or something ). hook something into something to connect something to something. hook something up to set some- thing up and get it working— such as electricity, gas, water, tele- phone lines, etc. hoot ["hut] 1. n. the noise that an owl makes. 2. iv. to make Q; to make a noise like Q. hooves ["huvz] plural of hoof. hop ["hap] 1. n. a small movement upward, like a jump. 2. n. an air- plane flight, especially a short one. 3. iv. to jump up and down; to jump forward a small distance. 4. iv. [for frogs, rabbits, kanga- roos, etc.] to move by jumping. hop in something to get into a car, truck, van, or taxi quickly to make a quick or short trip. hop on something to board a plane, train, bus, or bicycle to make a quick trip. hope ["hop] 1. n. the happy feeling that something one wants to hap- pen will actually happen. (No plu- ral.) 2. n. something that is desired; something that one wants to happen; an expectation. 3. tv. to feel happy about and wish for something that one wants to hap- pen in the future. (The object is a clause with that U.) → cross one’s heart (and hope to die) hope against all hope to have hope even when the situation appears to be hopeless. hope to do something to feel happy about and wish to do something in the future. horizon [h@ "raI z@n] n. the line in the distance where the sky seems to meet the earth. → on the horizon honor someone’s check 274 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 274 TLFeBOOK horizontal [hor @ "zan t@l] adj. flat; parallel to flat ground; not up and down. (Adv: horizontally.) horn ["horn] 1. n. a hard, usually pointed growth on the heads of cattle, goats, antelope, sheep, etc. 2. n. the hard substance that an animal’s hoof or horn as in Q is made of. (No plural.) 3. n. a device that makes noise, as in a car or other vehicle. 4. n. one of the brass musical instruments, such as the trumpet, the cornet, the tuba, the French horn, and the trom- bone, played by blowing air through a shaped tube. (Often in compounds.) → blow one’s own horn → lock horns (with someone ) → on the horns of a dilemma → take the bull by the horns → toot one’s own horn horn in (on someone ) to attempt to displace someone. hornet ["hor nIt] n. a large kind of stinging wasp. → (as) mad as a hornet → stir up a hornet’s nest horrible ["hor @ b@l] 1. adj. causing horror or terror. (Adv: horribly.) 2. adj. awful; bad. (Adv: horribly.) horrify ["hor @ faI] tv. to frighten someone very badly; to terrify someone. horror ["hor #] 1. n. intense dread or fear; fright. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. n. some- one or something that causes fear or fright; an experience of Q. → in horror horse ["hors] n. an animal, larger than a donkey, that is used for car- rying people and pulling heavy things, especially on farms. → beat a dead horse → dark horse → eat like a horse → put the cart before the horse → straight from the horse’s mouth → work like a horse a horse of a different color See a horse of another color. a horse of another color and a horse of a different color another matter altogether. horse sense common sense; prac- tical thinking. hose ["hoz] 1. n. a flexible tube used to direct water or some other liquid. (Treated as singular. Plural: hoses.) 2. n. men’s socks, especially to go with formal clothing. (No plural. Treated as plural, but not countable. Number is expressed with pair(s) of hose.) 3. n. women’s long, sheer stockings, made of silk or nylon. (No plural. Treated as plural, but not countable. Number is expressed with pair(s) of hose.) 4. n. pantyhose. (No plural. Treated as plural, but not counta- ble.) hospital ["has pIt @l] n. a building where medical care for serious dis- eases and illnesses is provided. host ["host] 1. n. someone who receives and welcomes guests. (Male or female. Sometimes host- ess is used for a female.) 2. n. the person arranging a party or gath- ering, especially where food is served. (Male or female. Some- times hostess is used for a female.) 3. n. someone who introduces people on a television show; some- one who has a talk show on televi- sion. 4. n. a large number of host 275 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 275 TLFeBOOK . the folded and sewn edge of a piece of cloth. 2. tv. to make a nice, even edge on a piece of cloth by folding and sewing. hemisphere ["hEm @s fIr] 1. n. half of a sphere; half of a ball objective form of he Q. (The pronoun used to refer to males. Used after prepositions and as the object of verbs.) 2. pron. an objective form of he W. (Used when the sex of a grammatical object of a verb. something. home office ["hom " ;Of Is] 1. n. the central office of a company. 2. n. an office in one’s home. home on(to something ) to aim directly at something; to fix some type of receiver