hither and thither
To or in various directions, often in a confused manner
Browse all entries 3456
All languages English Tiếng Việt
hither and yon
To or in many different places
hitting on all six
Doing well, giving a fine performance. The phrase comes from motoring, where an engine which is running well is described as having the pistons in. all six cylinders hitting perfectly.
hittite
A facetious sporting term for a prize-fighter. Derived from the Bible.
hive of activity
A place where a lot of activity is happening
hivite
A student of St. Begh’s College, Cumberland, which is pronounced and generally written St. Bee’s. Literally, Hive-ite.
hizouse
House.
HMe of Land
The term applied in Anglo- Saxon times to a portion or land that was sufficient to support a family; usually from 60 to 100 acres, but no fixed number. A hide of good arable land was smaller than a hide of inferior quality.
ho kua bo ho jiak
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
hoax
To deceive, or ridicule,—Grose says this was originally a University cant word. Corruption of HOCUS, to cheat.
hoaxing
Bantering, ridiculing. Hoaxing a quiz; joking an odd fellow. UNIVERSITY WIT.
hob and nob
To act in concert with another; to lay "heads together;" to touch glasses in drinking; to fraternize in a convivial meeting or merry-making. Originally meaning "foot and head,"—the touching of the top of one glass with the bottom of another, and then reversing the order. Nowadays it means simply to clink glasses together as a salutation before imbibing.
hob collingwood
According to Brockett, a north country term for the four of hearts, considered an unlucky card.
Hob's Pound
Difficulties, great embarrass- ment. To be in Hob's pound is to be in the pound of a hob or hoberd — i.e. a fool or ne'er- do-well — paying for one's folly.
hobbadehoy
A youth who has ceased to regard himself as a boy, and is not yet regarded as a man.
hobberdehoy
Half a man and half a boy, a lad between both.
hobble
Trouble of any kind. A man is said to be in a HOBBLE when he has offended the proprieties in any way, "from pitch and toss to manslaughter."
Hobble Skirts
This women's fashion of skirts so tight round the ankles that the wearer was impeded in walking — much as a horse is hobbled — was at its height in 1912 and was gone by 1914.
hobbled
Impeded, interrupted, puzzled. To hobble; to walk lamely.
hobbled
Committed for trial; properly said of animals fed by the wayside, with their forelegs fastened together. Hence people who gather burdens about them are said to get into HOBBLES.
hobbledygee
A pace between a walk and a run, a dog-trot.
hobby
Sir Posthumous's hobby; one nice or whimsical in his clothes.
hobby horse
A man's favourite amusement, or study, is called his hobby horse. It also means a particular kind of small Irish horse: and also a wooden one, such as is given to children.
hobby horsical
A man who is a great keeper or rider of hobby horses; one that is apt to be strongly attached to his systems of amusement.
hobnail
A country clodhopper: from the shoes of country farmers and ploughmen being commonly stuck full of hob-nails, and even often clouted, or tipped with iron. The Devil ran over his face with hobnails in his shoes; said of one pitted With the small pox.
hobson's choice
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
Hobson's Choice
This or none. Thomas Hob- son (c. 1544-1631) was a carrier and inn- keeper at Cambridge who erected the hand- some conduit there, and settled "seven lays" of pasture ground towards its maintenance.
hock cart
The last cartload of harvest; probably connected with hockey.
hockey
Drunk with strong stale beer, called old hock. See HICKEY.
hockey cake
The cake given out to the harvesters when the hock cart (q.v.
hocks
Vulgar appellation for the feet. You have left the marks of your dirty hocks on my clean stairs; a frequent complaint from a mop squeezer to a footman.
hocks
The feet and ankles; CURBY HOCKS, round or clumsy feet and ankles. Term originating with horsey men.
hocus
To drug a person for purposes of robbery. The potion generally consists of snuff and beer among rogues of the lowest class, and is by them called "snuffing a bloke;" or sometimes, when the drug is administered to a woman for purposes other than those of robbery, "snuffing a blowen."
hocus pocus
Nonsensical words used by jugglers, previous to their deceptions, as a kind of charm, or incantation. A celebrated writer supposes it to be a ludicrous corruption of the words hoc est corpus, used by the popish priests in consecrating the host. Also Hell Hocus is used to express drunkenness: as, he is quite hocus; he is quite drunk.
hod
Brother Hod; a familiar name for a bricklayer's labourer: from the hod which is used for carrying bricks and mortar.
hoddy doddy, all a-se and no body
A short clumsy person, either male or female.
hodge
An abbreviation of Roger: a general name for a country booby.
hodge
A countryman or provincial clown. Most country districts in England have one or more families in the name of HODGE; indeed, GILES and HODGE appear to be the favourite hobnail nomenclature. HODGE is said to be simply an abbreviation of Roger.
hodge podge
An irregular mixture of numerous things.
hodmandods
Snails in their shells.
hoe one's row
to mind one's own business
hog
A shilling. To drive one's hogs; to snore: the noise made by some persons in snoring, being not much unlike the notes of that animal. He has brought his hogs to a fine market; a saying of any one who has been remarkably successful in his affairs, and is spoken ironically to signify the contrary. A hog in armour; an awkward or mean looking man or woman, finely dressed, is said to look like a hog in armour.
hog
A shilling.—Old Cant.
hog and hominy
Pork and maize, considered inferior food.
hog grubber
A mean stingy fellow.
hog heaven
A place or situation of great delight or pleasure
hog in armour
A person of awkward man- ners dressed so fine that he cannot move easily; perhaps a corruption of ''Hodge in armour." See HODGE.
hoga
Do. "That wont HOGA," i.e., that wont do, is one of the very commonest of the Anglo-Indian slang phrases.
hoggish
Rude, unmannerly, filthy.
hogmagundy
The process by which the population is increased.
hogmany night
New Year’s Eve, when presents are solicited by the young folk.—Scotch.
hogo
Corruption of haut goust, high taste, or flavour; commonly said of flesh somewhat tainted. It has a confounded hogo; it stinks confoundedly.
hogo
A tremendous stench. From haut goût. Now often pronounced FOGO.
hoist
To go upon the hoist; to get into windows accidentally left open: this is done by the assistance of a confederate, called the hoist, who leans his head against the wall, making his back a kind of step or ascent.
hoist by one's own petard
Damaged or destroyed by one's own plan or action
hoister
A thief.
hoity-toity
A hoity-toity wench; a giddy, thoughtless, romping girl.
holborn hill
To ride backwards up Holborn hill; to go to the gallows: the way to Tyburn, the place of execution for criminals condemned in London, was up that hill. Criminals going to suffer, always ride backwards, as some conceive to increase the ignominy, but more probably to prevent them being shocked with a distant view of the gallows; as, in amputations, surgeons conceal the instruments with which they are going to operate.
hold a grudge
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
hold a light
to guide or assist someone
Advertisement
Ad space — ads help keep Idiomer free. Premium will remove them.