hard ["hard] 1. adj. firm; solid; not soft. (Comp: harder; sup: hardest.) 2. adj. difficult; not easy to do. (Comp: harder; sup: hardest.) 3. adj. severe; harsh; demanding. (Comp: harder; sup: hardest.) 4. adj. forceful; violent; not gentle. (Comp: harder; sup: hardest.) 5. adj. [of water] having a high mineral content. (Comp: harder; sup: hardest.) 6. adv. with great force or energy. (Comp: harder; sup: hardest.) → (as) hard as nails → between a rock and a hard place → drive a hard bargain → hit someone hard hard of hearing [of someone] unable to hear well; [of someone] partially deaf. hard on someone’s heels follow- ing someone very closely; follow- ing very closely to someone’s heels. a hard-and-fast rule a strict rule. hardly ["hard li] adv. barely; almost not at all. hardly have time to think so busy that one can hardly think properly; very busy. hardware ["hard wEr] 1. n. tools, nails, screws, door handles, elec- trical supplies, brackets, buckets, utensils, and similar things used in building and maintenance. (No plural form.) 2. n. computer equipment; the machinery of a computer, as opposed to software programs. (No plural form.) hare ["he #] n. an animal, such as the jackrabbit, that is very similar to a rabbit, but larger. → (as) mad as a March hare harm ["harm] 1. n. mental or physi- cal damage to someone or some- thing. (No plural.) 2. tv. to damage someone or something. harmful ["harm fUl] adj. causing damage or harm to someone or something. (Adv: harmfully.) harmony ["har m@ ni] 1. n. the effect of different musical notes that are played or sung together, creating a pleasant sound. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. n. agreement; peace. (No plural. Fig- urative on Q.) harp ["harp] n. a musical instru- ment having strings attached to a frame of wood. harp on someone or something to keep talking about someone or something until everyone is tired of hearing about it. (Informal.) harsh ["harS] 1. adj. rough; unpleasant to look at or listen to; unpleasant to touch, taste, or smell. (Adv: harshly. Comp: harsher; sup: harshest.) 2. adj. mean; cruel; severe. (Adv: harshly. Comp: harsher; sup: harshest.) harvest ["har v@st] 1. n. the gather- ing of a crop of grain, fiber, fruit, vegetables, etc. 2. n. the total amount of grain, fiber, fruit, or vegetables produced in an area. 3. tv. to collect a crop of grain, fiber, fruit, or vegetables when it is ready. has ["hAz] 1. tv. the present-tense form of have used for the third- person singular, that is, with he, she, it, and singular nouns. 2. aux. the present-tense form of have T used for the third-person singular, hard 256 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 256 TLFeBOOK that is, with he, she, it, and singu- lar nouns, in forming the present perfect verb form. (Used before the past participle of a verb. Reduced to ’s in contractions.) hash something over (with some- one ) to discuss something with someone. hat ["hAt] n. an article of clothing shaped to cover the head. → at the drop of a hat → be old hat → eat one’s hat → hang one’s hat up somewhere → keep something under one’s hat → pass the hat → pull something out of a hat → talk through one’s hat → toss one’s hat into the ring → wear more than one hat hatch ["hAtS] 1. n. an opening in a wall, ceiling, or floor. 2. iv. [for a baby bird or reptile] to break an eggshell from the inside and come out. → count one’s chickens before they hatch hatchet ["hAtS It] n. a short axe. → bury the hatchet hate ["het] 1. n. intense dislike. (No plural.) 2. tv. to dislike someone or something intensely. → one’s pet hate hate someone’s guts to hate some- one very much. (Informal and rude.) hate to do something to strongly dislike doing something. haul ["hOl] 1. tv. to carry some- thing, using force; to drag some- thing heavy. 2. tv. to carry or bring someone or something by truck or other vehicle. 3. n. an instance of traveling from one place to another, and the distance, time, or effort involved. → over the long haul → over the short haul haul someone in [for an officer of the law] to take someone to the police station. haul someone over the coals Go to rake someone over the coals. have ["hAv] 1. tv., irreg. to own something; to possess something; to possess a quality. (Past tense and past participle: had; in the present tense, the third-person singular form is has.) 2. tv., irreg. to undergo something; [for some- thing] to happen to oneself; to experience something. 3. tv., irreg. to eat or drink something; to con- sume something. 4. tv., irreg. to cause something to be done; to cause someone or something to do something. 5. aux. a verb that is used to form the perfect verb forms, which show that an action is completed. (Used before the past participle of a verb.) → as luck would have it → chickens have come home to roost → eat one’s cake and have it too → hardly have time to think → not have a leg to stand on → should have stood in bed → Walls have ears. → would like (to have) have a bee in one’s bonnet to have an idea or a thought remain in one’s mind; to have an obses- sion. have a big mouth to be a gossiper; to be a person who tells secrets. have a bone to pick (with some- one ) to have a matter to discuss have a bone to pick (with someone) 257 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 257 TLFeBOOK with someone; to have something to argue about with someone. have a chip on one’s shoulder to be tempting someone to an argu- ment or a fight. have a (close) brush with some- thing to have a brief contact with something; to have an experience with something. have a close call Go to have a close shave. have a close shave and have a close call to have a narrow escape from something dangerous. (Also with be.) have a familiar ring [for a story or an explanation] to sound familiar. have a foot in both camps to have an interest in or to support each of two opposing groups of people. have a frog in one’s throat to have a feeling of not being able to speak because of a lump in one’s throat or as if it were sore. (Also with get.) have a good head on one’s shoulders to have common sense; to be sensible and intelli- gent. have a green thumb to have the ability to grow plants well. have a handle on something and get a handle on something to have or get control of something; to have or get an understanding of something. have a head for something have the mental capacity for something. have a heart to be compassionate; to be generous and forgiving. have a heart of gold to be gener- ous, sincere, and friendly. have a heart of stone to be cold, unfeeling, and unfriendly. have a hold on someone to have a strong and secure influence on someone. have a keen interest in some- thing to have a strong interest in something; to be very interested in something. have a look for someone or some- thing Go to take a look for someone or something . have a lot going (for one ) to have many things working to one’s ben- efit. have a low boiling point to anger easily. have a nose for something to have the talent for finding something. have a one-track mind to have a mind that thinks entirely or almost entirely about one subject, especially sex. have a peep and take a peep to look quickly, sometimes through a small hole. have a price on one’s head to be wanted by the authorities, who have offered a reward for one’s capture. have a run of something a contin- uous series of events. have a run-in with someone to have an unpleasant and trouble- some encounter with someone. have a scrape (with someone or something ) to come into contact with someone or something; to have a chip on one’s shoulder 258 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 258 TLFeBOOK have a small battle with someone or something. have a soft spot in one’s heart for someone or something to be fond of someone or something. have a sweet tooth to desire to eat many sweet foods—especially candy and pastries. (As if a certain tooth had a craving for sweets.) have a taste for something a desire for a particular food, drink, or experience. have a vested interest in some- thing to have a personal or biased interest, often financial, in some- thing. have a weakness for someone or something to be unable to resist someone or something; to be fond of someone or something; to be (figuratively) powerless against someone or something. have an ax to grind to have some- thing to complain about. have an ear for something to have the ability to learn music or lan- guages. have an in (with someone ) to have a way to request a special favor from someone; to have influence with someone. (The in is a noun.) have an itch for something to have a desire for something. have an itch to do something to have a desire to do something. have an itching palm Go to have an itchy palm. have an itchy palm and have an itching palm to be in need of a tip; to tend to ask for tips; to crave money. (As if placing money in the palm would stop the itching.) have arrived to reach a position of power, authority, or prominence. have bearing on something to have an effect or influence on something. have clean hands to be guiltless. (As if the guilty person would have bloody hands.) have egg on one’s face to be embarrassed because of an error that is obvious to everyone. have eyes bigger than one’s stomach to have a desire for more food than one could possibly eat. have eyes in the back of one’s head to seem to be able to sense what is going on outside of one’s range of vision. (Not literal.) have feet of clay [for a strong per- son] to have a defect of character. have foot-in-mouth disease to embarrass oneself through a silly verbal blunder; to put one’s foot in one’s mouth (not literally) a lot. have got something to have some- thing; to possess something. (Used only with the present tense of have T, as with have got or has got.) have got to do something to be obliged to do something; must do something. (Used only with the present tense of have T, as with have got to or has got to.) have had its day to no longer be useful or successful. have it out (with someone ) to set- tle something with someone by fighting or arguing. have it out (with someone) 259 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 259 TLFeBOOK have mixed feelings (about someone or something ) to be uncertain about someone or something. have money to burn to have lots of money; to have more money than one needs; to have enough money that some can be wasted. have one’s back to the wall to be in a defensive position. have one’s cake and eat it too and eat one’s cake and have it too to enjoy both having some- thing and using it up. have one’s ear to the ground and keep one’s ear to the ground to listen carefully, hoping to get warning of something. have one’s finger in the pie to be involved in something. have one’s finger in too many pies to be involved in too many things; to have too many tasks going to be able to do any of them well. have one’s hand in the till to be stealing money from a company or an organization. (The till is a cash box or drawer.) have one’s hands full (with some- one or something ) to be busy or totally occupied with someone or something. have one’s hands tied to be pre- vented from doing something. (Figurative.) have one’s head in the clouds to be unaware of what is going on. have one’s heart in one’s mouth to feel strongly emotional about someone or something. have one’s heart set on something to be desiring and expecting some- thing. have one’s nose in a book to be reading a book; to read books all the time. have one’s sights trained on something Go to train one’s sights on something . have one’s tail between one’s legs to be frightened or to lack bravery. have one’s words stick in one’s throat to be so overcome by emo- tion that one can hardly speak. have other fish to fry to have other things to do; to have more important things to do. (Other can be replaced by bigger, better, more important, etc.) have someone dead to rights to have proved someone unquestion- ably guilty. have someone in one’s pocket to have control over someone. have someone or something in one’s hands to have control of or responsibility for someone or something. (Have can be replaced with leave or put.) have someone over to invite some- one as a guest to one’s house. have someone pegged as some- thing Go to peg someone as something . have someone’s blood on one’s hands to be responsible for some- one’s death; to be guilty of causing someone’s death. have someone’s eye Go to catch someone’s eye. have mixed feelings (about someone or something) 260 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 260 TLFeBOOK have something at hand Go to have something at one’s fingertips. have something at one’s finger- tips and have something at hand to have something within (one’s) reach. have something down pat to have learned or memorized something perfectly. have something hanging over one’s head to have something bothering or worrying one; to have a deadline worrying one. have something in stock to have merchandise available and ready for sale. have something out to have some- thing, such as a tooth, stone, or tumor, removed surgically. have something to spare to have more than enough of something. have something wrapped up Go to get something sewed up. have the gall to do something to have sufficient arrogance to do something. have the Midas touch to have the ability to be successful, especially the ability to make money easily. ( Midas = a legendary king whose touch turned everything to gold.) have the presence of mind to do something to have the calmness and ability to act sensibly in an emergency or difficult situation. have the right-of-way to possess the legal right to occupy a particu- lar space on a public roadway. have the time of one’s life to have a very good time; to have the most exciting time in one’s life. have to do something to be obli- gated to do something; must do something. have to do with someone or some- thing to concern or affect someone or something; to be associated with or related to someone or something. have too many irons in the fire to be doing too many things at once. the have-nots ["hAv "nats] n. peo- ple who do not have enough money to live comfortably. the haves ["hAvz] n. people who have enough money to live com- fortably; people who are rich and privileged. hawk ["hOk] 1. n. a bird of prey, similar to a falcon, with strong beak and claws, a long tail, and good eyesight. 2. tv. to sell some- thing, especially in the street. → watch someone like a hawk hay ["he] n. grass or plants cut, dried, and used as food for cattle, horses, etc. (No plural.) haystack ["he stAk] n. a large amount of hay that is piled together to dry. → like looking for a needle in a haystack hazard a guess to make a guess. hazard an opinion to give an opinion. he ["hi] 1. pron. a third-person sin- gular masculine pronoun. (Refers to male creatures. Used as a sub- ject of a sentence or a clause. See also him, himself, and his.) 2. pron. a third-person singular pronoun. (Used when the sex of a grammat- he 261 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 261 TLFeBOOK ical subject is unimportant, inde- terminate, undetermined, or irrel- evant. Objected to by some as actually referring only to males in this sense. See also they W.) 3. n. a male person or creature. head ["hEd] 1. n. the part of the body of humans and animals above the neck, including the face, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, brain, and skull. 2. n. the brain; the mind. 3. n. an individual animal, used especially in counting cows, horses, and sheep. (No plural. Always a singular form preceded by words that tell how many.) 4. n. the leader of a company, country, organization, group, etc.; a chief; someone who is in charge. 5. n. the top, front, or upper part of something, such as a table, a page, a sheet of paper, a line [of people], or a [school] class. 6. adj. primary; chief; foremost. (Prenominal only.) 7. tv. to lead a group of peo- ple; to be in charge of a group of people or part of a company. 8. iv. to move in a certain direction. → bang one’s head against a brick wall → beat one’s head against the wall → bring something to a head → bury one’s head in the sand → can’t make heads or tails (out) of someone or something → come to a head → count heads → drum something in(to someone’s head) → get one’s head above water → get something into someone’s thick head → go over someone ’s head → go to someone’s head → have a good head on one’s shoulders → have a head for something → have a price on one’s head → have eyes in the back of one’s head → have one’s head in the clouds → have something hanging over one’s head → hide one’s head in the sand → hit the nail (right) on the head → hold one’s head up → in over one’s head → keep a civil tongue (in one’s head) → keep one’s head above water → make someone’s head spin → make someone’s head swim → off the top of one’s head → out of one’s head → over someone’s head → per head → rear its ugly head → turn someone’s head a head and per head a person; an individual. head and shoulders above someone or something clearly superior to someone or some- thing. (Often with stand.) head back ( someplace ) to start moving back to someplace. head of cabbage and head of lettuce n. the edible, top part of a cabbage or a lettuce plant. head of lettuce Go to head of cab- bage. head someone or something off to intercept and divert someone or something. head something up 1. to get some- thing pointed in the right direc- tion. (Especially a herd of cattle or a group of covered wagons.) 2. to be in charge of something; to be the head of some organization. head 262 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 262 TLFeBOOK headache ["hEd ek] 1. n. a pain in the head, especially one that lasts a long time. 2. n. a problem; a bother; a worry. (Figurative on Q.) heads will roll some people will get into trouble. (Informal. From the use of the guillotine to execute people.) heal over [for the surface of a wound] to heal. heal up [for an injury] to heal. health ["hElT] 1. n. freedom from diseases of the mind or the body. (No plural.) 2. n. vigor; general condition. (No plural. Figurative on Q.) 3. the adj. use of Q or W. → get a clean bill of health → give someone a clean bill of health → in the picture of (good) health → nurse someone back to health heap ["hip] n. a large pile of things; a stack of things piled together. heap something up to make some- thing into a pile. heap something (up)on someone or something 1. to pile something up on someone or something. 2. to give someone too much of something, such as homework, praise, criticism, etc. (Figurative.) hear ["hIr] 1. iv., irreg. to be able to sense or experience sounds by means of the ears. (Past tense and past participle: heard.) 2. tv., irreg. to sense or receive a certain sound or a certain utterance. 3. tv., irreg. to learn that something has hap- pened. (The object can be a clause with that U.) 4. tv., irreg. [for a court of law] to listen to the two sides of a court case. 5. tv., irreg. to pay attention to someone or something; to listen to someone or something. (The object can be a clause with that U.) → like to hear oneself talk → so quiet you could hear a pin drop → so still you could hear a pin drop hear someone out 1. to hear all of what someone has to say. 2. to hear someone’s side of the story. heard ["h#d] past tense and past participle of hear. → make oneself heard hearing ["hIr IN] 1. n. the sense that allows one to recognize sound; the ability to hear. (No plural form.) 2. n. an examination of basic evi- dence in a court of law. 3. the adj. use of Q. → hard of hearing heart ["hart] 1. n. a large, four- chambered muscle that pumps blood throughout the body. 2. n. Q considered as a symbol of the center of a person’s emotions, thoughts, and love. (Figurative on Q.) 3. n. the shape 1. 4. n. [in a deck of playing cards] one card of a group of cards that bears a red 1. → an aching heart → break someone’s heart → cross one’s heart (and hope to die) → die of a broken heart → do someone’s heart good → eat one’s heart out → find it in one’s heart (to do something ) → follow one’s heart → from the bottom of one’s heart → get to the heart of the matter → have a heart → have a heart of gold heart 263 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 263 TLFeBOOK → have a heart of stone → have a soft spot in one’s heart for someone or something → have one’s heart in one’s mouth → have one’s heart set on something → lose heart → one’s heart is in one’s mouth → one’s heart is set on something → open one’s heart (to someone ) → set one’s heart on something → to one’s heart’s content → with all one’s heart and soul the heart n. the most central, essential, or vital part of some- thing; the core of something. (No plural. Treated as singular. Figura- tive on heart Q.) heartbeat ["hart bit] 1. n. one full pulse of the heart. 2. n. a moment; a second or two. → do something in a heartbeat → be a heartbeat away from something hearty ["har ti] 1. adj. energetic; vigorous; strong and lively. (Adv: heartily. Comp: heartier; sup: heartiest.) 2. adj. [of a meal] large and satisfying. (Adv: heartily. Comp: heartier; sup: heartiest.) → hale and hearty heat ["hit] 1. n. hotness; the quality that is felt at a higher temperature. (No plural.) 2. n. hot weather. (No plural.) 3. n. a grouping of con- testants in a sporting event. (The winners of different heats compete in later heats or the final event.) 4. tv. to cause something to become hotter. 5. iv. to become hotter or warmer. → in a dead heat → in heat heat up 1. to get warmer or hot. 2. to grow more animated or com- bative. heaven ["hEv @n] n. [in certain reli- gions] the place where God resides and where the souls of good peo- ple go after death. (Usually associ- ated with the sky. No plural.) → in heaven → in seventh heaven → manna from heaven → move heaven and earth to do something the heavens n. the sky; space. (Treated as plural.) heavy ["hEv i] 1. adj. weighing a lot; of great weight. (Adv: heavily. Comp: heavier; sup: heaviest.) 2. adj. [of sound] strong, deep, and ponderous. (Adv: heavily. Comp: heavier; sup: heaviest.) 3. adj. great in amount; dense; intense; thick. (Adv: heavily. Comp: heavier; sup: heaviest.) 4. adj. serious; requiring a lot of thought to understand. (Adv: heavily. Comp: heavier; sup: heaviest.) → Time hangs heavy on someone’s hands. hectic ["hEk tIk] adj. very active; very excited; very busy. (Adv: hec- tically [ Ik li].) heed ["hid] tv. to pay close atten- tion to something, such as advice. → take heed heel ["hil] 1. n. the back part of the foot; the part of the foot that bears the weight of the body. 2. n. the part of a shoe or sock that covers the back part of the foot. 3. n. the part of a shoe that supports the back part of the foot. → Achilles’ heel → cool one’s heels → dig in one’s heels → hard on someone’s heels → high heels heart 264 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 264 TLFeBOOK → kick up one’s heels → on the heels of something → set one back on one’s heels → take to one’s heels heels n. shoes with a tall heel E, worn by women, usually on for- mal occasions. (Short for high heels. Treated as plural, but not countable. Number is expressed with pair(s) of heels.) height ["haIt] 1. n. the amount that someone or something is tall; ver- tical length [of a person or of a vertical object]. (No plural.) 2. n. the length of something from bot- tom to top; the distance to a higher point from a lower level. → at the height of something heighten ["haIt n] 1. tv. to cause something to become more intense or exciting. 2. iv. to become more intense or exciting. held ["hEld] past tense and past par- ticiple of hold. helicopter ["hEl @ kap t#] n. an air- craft with large, rotating blades that can lift and hold the aircraft in the air. he’ll ["hil] cont. he will. hell ["hEl] 1. n. [in certain reli- gions] the place where the devil resides and where the souls of wicked people go after death. (No plural. Sometimes capitalized.) 2. n. suffering, misery, and despair. (Figurative on Q. No plu- ral.) 3. interj. a word used to indi- cate anger or surprise. (Colloquial.) → been to hell and back → for the hell of it → like a bat out of hell hello [hE "lo] 1. n. an act of greet- ing someone; an act of saying W. (Plural ends in -s.) 2. interj. a word used in greeting someone or in answering the telephone. → drop in (to say hello) helm ["hElm] n. the wheel or lever used to control the direction of a ship. (No plural form.) → at the helm (of something ) help ["hElp] 1. n. aid; assistance. (No plural. Treated as singular.) 2. n. someone or a group hired to do a job, usually a service job. (No plural. Treated as singular or plu- ral, but not counted.) 3. iv. to give assistance. 4. tv. to give assistance to someone or something; to aid someone or something. 5. tv. to relieve an illness or condition; to ease the discomfort caused by something; to make a sickness or discomfort less severe. 6. interj. a cry used when one needs aid or assistance. → cannot help doing something → pitch in (and help) → pitch in (and help) (with something ) help do something to assist [some- one to] do something. help out someplace to help [with the chores] in a particular place. help out (with something ) to help with a particular chore. help someone back (to something ) to help someone return to some- thing or someplace. help ( someone ) do something to assist someone [to] do something. help someone off with something to help someone take off an article of clothing. help someone off with something 265 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 265 TLFeBOOK . 1. n. the back part of the foot; the part of the foot that bears the weight of the body. 2. n. the part of a shoe or sock that covers the back part of the foot. 3. n. the part of a shoe that. some- thing. (Often with stand.) head back ( someplace ) to start moving back to someplace. head of cabbage and head of lettuce n. the edible, top part of a cabbage or a lettuce plant. head of lettuce. considered as a symbol of the center of a person’s emotions, thoughts, and love. (Figurative on Q.) 3. n. the shape 1. 4. n. [in a deck of playing cards] one card of a group of cards that bears