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.)

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].)

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-

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

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.)

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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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

→ 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

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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

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.

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

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,

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
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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

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

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