holy moley
An expression of great surprise or shock
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Holy of Holies
A place or thing considered most sacred or private
Holy of Holies
The innermost apartment of the Jewish temple, in which the ark of the covenant was kept, and into which only the high priest was allowed to enter, and that but once a year on the Day of Atonement. Hence, a private apartment, a sanctum sanctorum (q. v.).
holy orders
A clergyman is said to be in holv orders because he belongs to one of the orders or ranks of the Church. In the Church of England these are three, viz., Deacon, Priest, and Bishop; in the Roman Catholic Church there is a fourth, that of Sub-deacon.
holy places
Places in which the chief events of our Saviour's life occurred, such as the sepulchre, Gethsemane, the supper-room, the Church of the Ascension, the tomb of the Virgin, and so on.
Holy Rood Day
See HOLY CROSS DAY. H«>Iy Thra-sday. An old name in England for Ascension Day (q. v.), i.e. the Thursday but one before Whitsun. By Roman Catholics and others Maundy Thursday fo.v.), i.e. the Thursday before Good Friday, is called "Holy Thursday." See also IN CANA DOMINI.
holy shit
An expression of great surprise or shock
holy smoke
an expression of surprise or shock
Holy War
A war in which religious fanati- cism plays, or purports to play, a considerable part. The Crusades, the Thirty Years War, the wars against the Albigenses, etc., were so called.
holy water
He loves him as the Devil loves holy water, i.e. hates him mortally. Holy water, according to the Roman Catholics, having the virtue to chase away the Devil and his imps.
Holy Water
Water blessed by a priest or bishop for sacramental purposes. Its principal use is at the Asperges, or aspersing of the con- gregation before High Mass, but it is employed in nearly every blessing which the Church gives.
holy water sprinkler
A military club of mediaeval times, set with spikes. So called facetiously because it makes the blood to flow as water sprinkled by an aspergillum.
Holy Week
The last week in Lent. It begins on Palm Sunday; the fourth day is called "Spy Wednesday" (an allusion to Judas Iscariot's spying on Jesus preparatory to betraying him) ; the fifth is "Maundy Thursday" (#.v.); the sixth is "Good Friday"; and the last "Holy Saturday" or the "Great Sabbath.
home and hosed
certain to succeed or win
home away from home
A place where one feels comfortable and at ease, like their own home
home game
A situation or competition in which one has an advantage
home is where the heart is
One feels most at home where they have strong emotional connections
home sweet home
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
Home sweet home. (H. R. Bishop) Laine, Jarkko (toim.): Suuri sitaattisanakirja. Otava, 1989, p. 157. ISBN 9511109618
One's home is the most comfortable and pleasant place
home team
the team playing on their own field
home training
good manners or behavior learned at home
home wrecker
Someone who damages or destroys a relationship or marriage
homeboy
Someone, particularly a male acquaintance, from one’s hometown.
homedawg
A homeboy.
homefry
A homeboy.
homeless dumping
The practice of releasing patients or prisoners into areas with limited support
homely as a hedge fence
Unattractive or uninviting in appearance
Homer sometimes nods
Even the best of us is liable to make mistakes. The line is from Horace's De Arte Poetica (359): — Quandoque bonus donnitat Homerus! Verum open longo fas est obrepere somnum, (Sometimes good Homer himself even nods; but in so long a work it is allowable if there should be a drowsy interval or so.
homi
A homicide.
homo
A man. Lingua Franca; but see OMEE, the more usual Cockney pronunciation.
homogay
Homosexual.
hondey
A Manchester name for an omnibus, and the abbreviation of HONDEYBUSH, the original Lancashire pronunciation of the word.
Honest Abe
A nickname for someone known for honesty
honest John
An honest and trustworthy person
honest man
A term frequently used by superiors to inferiors. As honest a man as any in the cards when all the kings are out; i.e. a knave. I dare not call thee rogue for fear of the law, said a quaker to an attorney; but I wil give thee five pounds, if thou canst find any creditable person who wilt say thou art an honest man.
honest shilling
A shilling earned by a process actually immoral, but not positively illegal. The money earned by a prostitute is said to be honest, as distinguished from that obtained by a thief. Probably from the story of the converted burglar, who determined to sin no more himself, and who lectured against dishonesty, but sent his wife out regularly every evening with instructions to earn an HONEST SHILLING.
honest woman
To marry a woman with whom one has cohabitated as a mistress, is termed, making an honest woman of her.
honesty is the best policy
It is always best to tell the truth
honey
A sweet, viscous, gold-colored fluid produced from plant nectar by bees, and often consumed by humans.
honey blobs
A Scotch term for large ripe, yellow gooseberries.
honey do list
A list of tasks one person asks another to do, often a spouse
honey hole
A highly productive or profitable area
honey moon
The first month after marriage. A poor honey; a harmless, foolish, goodnatured fellow. It is all honey or a t--d with them; said of persons who are either in the extremity of friendship or enmity, either kissing or fighting.
honey trap
A tempting situation that conceals a hidden danger or problem
Hong Merchants
Those Chinese merchants who, under licence from the government of China, held the monopoly of trade with Europeans until 1842, when the restriction was
honk
To vomit.
honk off
To annoy.
honkers
Drunk.
honking
Having a bad smell.
honor in the breach
A rule or law is more often disobeyed than obeyed
honorable mention
A recognition of achievement, but not the top award
honour bright
An asseveration which means literally, "by my honour, which is bright and unsullied." It is often still further curtailed to "HONOUR!" only.
honours of war
The privilege allowed to an enemy, on capitulation, of being permitted to retain his offensive arms. This is the highest honour a victor can pay a vanquished foe. Sometimes the troops so treated are allowed to march with all their arms, drums beating, and colours flying.
hood-winked
Blindfolded by a handkerchief, or other ligature, bound over the eyes.
hoodie
A young person wearing such a sweatshirt, usually a male, stereotypically associated with antisocial behaviour.
hoof
To beat the hoof; to travel on foot. He hoofed it or beat the hoof, every step of the way from Chester to London.
hoof it
To walk, especially when as a result of regular transportation being unavailable.
hoofology
dancing
hook
An expression at Oxford, implying doubt, either connected with Hookey Walker, or with a note of interrogation (?) "Yes, with a HOOK at the end of it!" i.e., with some reservation, generally that of doubt, by the speaker.
hook and eye
a small metal fastener
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