to gun for someone
To set out deliberately to get a person and do him a mischief.
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Where will you be? Anywhere UK & IrelandUnited StatesOnline slangBusiness jargon
to hail a ship
To call to those on board. To hail an omnibus or a cab is to accost the driver in order to stop or hire the vehicle.
to hand in one's checks
To die. An American phrase derived from poker and such games, where checks is American for counters. When one handed them in one had finished, was "cleaned out." Also, to pass in, or cash, one's checks.
to hand round
To pass from one person to another in a regular series.
to hang a jury
To reduce them to disagree- ment so that they cannot bring in a verdict.
to hang about
To loaf, loiter. In America to hang around is more usual.
to hang by a thread
To be in a very pre- carious position. The allusion is to the sword of Damocles (tf .v.).
to hang by the wall
To hang up neglected- not to be made use of (Cymbeline, hi, 4).
to hang fire
To fail in an expected result. The allusion is to a gun or pistol which fails to go off.
to hang in the bell ropes
To have one's marriage postponed after the banns have been published at church.
to hang on
To cling to; to persevere; to be dependent on. To hang on by the eyelids is to maintain one's position only with the greatest difficulty or by the slightest of holds.
To hang the Up
To drop the under Kp in sullenness or contempt. Thus in Troilus and Cressida (iii, 1) Helen explains why her bro- ther Troilus is not abroad by saying, "He hangs the lip at something.
to have a cat doctored
A colloquialism for having a young tom-cat "cut," or cas- trated.
to have a date
To have an appointment, more particularly with someone of the opposite sex.
to have a down on
To have a grudge or spite against. To run a man down. See RUN.
to have a free hand
To be able to do as one thinks best without referring the matter to one's superiors; to be quite uncontrolled by outside influences.
to have a mind for it
To desire to possess it; to wish for it. Mind meaning desire, intention, .,. "T _. « ....
to have a sweet tooth
To be very fond of dainties and sweet things generally.
to have an eye to
To keep constantly in view; to act from motives of policy. See MAIN CHANCE.
to have and to hold
to marry and cherish someone
to have at heart
To cherish as a great hope or desire; to be earnestly set on.
to have bats in the belfry
To be crazy in the head, bats in this case being the nocturnal creatures.
to have entree
To have the right or privilege of admission. Entremets (on'trSma) are served between the roast and the dessert; in other words they are the sweet course, which in the U.S.A. is known as dessert.
to have good sea legs
To be a good sailor; to be able to stand the motion of the ship without getting sea sick.
to have had one's time
A British soldiers' expression in World War II for being ripe for death, to expect imminent disaster.
to have his fling
To sow his wild oats. The Scots have a proverb: — Let him tak' his fling and find oot his ain wecht (weight).
to have it out
To contest either physically or verbally with another to the utmost of one's
to have no bottom
To be unfathomable; to be unstable. To get to the bottom of the matter.
to have the cheek
To have the face or assurance. "He hadn't the cheek to ask for more.
to have the laugh of one
To be able to make merry at another's expense, generally to that other's surprise and confusion.
to have the pip
To be thoroughly "fed up,'* downhearted, and miserable. Prob- ably connected with the poultry disease which causes fowls to pine away.
to have to do with
To have dealings or intercourse with, to have relation to. "That has nothing to do with the case.
to have tow on the distaff
To have work in hand. He hadde more tow on his distaf Than Gerveys knew.
to have up one's sleeve
To hold in reserve; to have it ready to bring out in a case of emergency. The allusion is to conjurers, who frequently conceal in the sleeve the means by which they do the trick.
to have words with one
To quarrel; to have an angry discussion. To have a word with one. is to have a brief conversation with him.
to head off
To intercept; get ahead of and force to turn back. To hit the nail on the head. To guess aright; to do the right thing. The allusion is obvious. The French say, Voits avezfrappe au but (You have hit the mark); the Italians have the phrase, Avete dato in brocca (You have hit the pitcher), alluding to a game where a pitcher stood in the place of Aunt Sally (#.v.).
to heave
To rob. To heave a case; to rob a house. To heave a bough; to rob a booth. CANT.
to hedge-hop
Airman's term for flying so low as almost to skim the tops of the hedges.
to hell
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
to hell and back
to experience a very difficult or unpleasant situation
to hell in a handbasket
to be deteriorating or declining rapidly
To Hell or Connaught
This phrase, usually attributed to Cromwell, and common to the whole of Ireland, rose thus: during the Com- monwealth all the native Irish were dispossessed of their lands in the other three provinces and ordered to settle in Connaught, under pain of death.
to high heaven
to a great extent or degree
to hit it off
To describe a thing tersely and epigrammatically; to make a sketch truthfully and quickly.
to hit it off together
To agree together, or suit each other. To hit the nail on the head. See HEAD.
to hit the needle
Hit the right nail on the head, to make a perfect hit. A term in archery, equal to hitting the bull's-eye.
to hit the white
To be quite right, make a good shot. The phrase is from the old days of archery, the white being the inner circle of the target — the bull's eye.
to hitch
To get on smoothly; to fit in consistently; also, to harness: as, "You and I hitch on well together" ; "These two accounts do not hitch in with each other.
to hoard
To feed and lodge together, is taken from the custom of the university members, etc., dining together at a common table or board.
to hold erne guilty
To adjudge or regard as guilty. To hold one in hand or in play. To divert one's attention, or to amuse in order to get some advantage.
to hold forth
To speak in public; to harangue; to declaim. An author holds forth certain opinions or ideas in his book, Le. exhibits them or holds them out to view. A speaker does the same in an oratorical display.
to hold good
To be valid, or applicable. We say "such and such a proverb is very true, but it does not hold good in every case," i.e. it does not always apply.
To hold oa one's Tray
To proceed steadily; to go on without taking notice of interruptions or being delayed.
to hold one's breath
Voluntarily to cease breathing for a time.
to hold one's ground
To maintain one's authority, popularity, etc.; not to budge from one's position.
to hold one's own
To maintain one's own opinion, position, way, etc.
to hold one's tongue
To keep silence. In Coverdale's Bible (1535), where the Authorized Version has ''But Jesus held his peace" (Matt. xxvi, 63) the reading is "Jesus helde his tonge.
to hold out the olive branch
To make over- tures for peace; in allusion to the olive being an ancient symbol of peace. In some of Numa's medals the king is represented holding an olive twig, indicative of a peaceful reign.
to hold over
To keep back, retain in re- serve, defer.
to hold the belt
To be the champion. In pugilism, a belt usually forms part of the prize in big events, and is typical of the champion- ship.
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