Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)
Шрифт:
[hard-top] <n.> 1. A car that has a metal roof; a car that is not a convertible. * /Every spring Mr. Jones sells his hard-top and buys a convertible./ 2. or [hardtop convertible] A car with windows that can be completely lowered with no partitions left standing, and with a top that may or may not be lowered. * /Mr. Brown's new car is a hardtop convertible./
[hard up] <adj.>, <informal> Without enough money or some other needed thing. * /Dick was hard up and asked Lou to lend him a dollar./ * /The campers were hard up for water because their well had run dry./ Compare: UP AGAINST IT.
[hard way] <n.> The harder or more punishing of two or more ways to solve a problem, do something, or learn something.
– Used with "the". * /The mayor refused the help of the crooks and won the election the hard way by going out to meet the people./ * /The challenger found out the hard way that the champion's left hand had to be avoided./
[hare] See: MAD AS A HATTER or MAD AS A MARCH HARE, RUN WITH THE HARE AND HUNT (RIDE) WITH THE HOUNDS.
[harebrained] <adj.> Thoughtless; foolish. * /Most of the harebrained things Ed does may be attributable to his youth and lack of experience./
[hark back] <v.>, <literary> 1. To recall or turn back to an earlier time or happening. * /Judy is always harking back to the good times she had at camp./ 2. To go back to something as a beginning or origin. * /The cars of today hark back to the first automobiles made about 1900./ * /The slit in the back of a man's coal harks back to the days when men rode horseback./
[harp away at] or [on] <v.> To mention again and again. * /In his campaign speeches, Jones harps on his rival's wealth and powerful friends./
[Harry] See: TOM, DICK, AND HARRY.
[harum-scarum(1)] <adv.>, <informal> In a careless, disorderly or reckless way. * /Jim does his homework harum-scarum, and that is why his schoolwork is so poor./
[harum-scarum(2)] <adj.>, <informal> Careless, wild, or disorderly in one's acts or performance; reckless. * /Jack is such a harum-scarum boy that you can never depend on him to do anything right./
[hash] See: SETTLE ONE'S HASH, SLING HASH.
[hash house] <n.>, <slang> An eating place where cheap meals are served. * /Joe and his friends went to a hash house around the corner after the game./
[hash out] <v.>, <informal> To talk all about and try to agree on; discuss thoroughly. * /The teacher asked Susan and Jane to sit down together and hash out their differences./ * /The students hashed out the matter and decided to drop it./
[hash up] <v.>, <slang> 1. To make a mess of; do badly. * /Bob really hashed up that exam and failed the course./ 2. To bring to life; remember and talk about. * /The teacher advised Sue not to hash up old bitterness against her schoolmates./
[haste] See: MAKE HASTE.
[hat] See: AT THE DROP OF A HAT, BRASS HAT, HANG ON TO YOUR HAT or HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT or HOLD YOUR HAT, HIGH-HAT, KEEP UNDER ONE'S HAT, OLD HAT, PULL OUT OF A HAT, TAKE OFF ONE'S HAT TO, TALK THROUGH ONE'S HAT, TEN-GALLON HAT, THROW ONE'S HAT IN THE RING.
[hat in hand] <adv. phr.>, <informal> In a humble and respectful manner. * /They went hat in hand to the old woman to ask for her secret recipe./
[hatch] See: COUNT ONE'S CHICKENS BEFORE THEY ARE HATCHED.
[hatchet] See: BURY THE HATCHET.
[hatchet face] <n.> A long narrow face with sharp parts; also, a person with such a face. * /Johnny was sent to the principal's office because he called his teacher old hatchet face./ * /He was hatchet-faced and not at all handsome./
[hatchet job] <n. phr.>, <slang> 1. The act of saying or writing terrible things about someone or something, usually on behalf of one's boss or organization. * /When Phil makes speeches against the competition exaggerating their weaknesses, he is doing the hatchet job on behalf of our president./ 2. A ruthless, wholesale job of editing a script whereby entire paragraphs or pages are omitted. * /Don, my editor, did a hatchet job on my new novel./
[hatchet man] <n.>, <colloquial> 1. A politician or newspaper columnist whose job is to write and say unfavorable things about the opposition. * /Bill Lerner is the hatchet man for the Mayor's Party; he smears all the other candidates regularly./ 2. An executive officer in a firm whose job it is to fire superfluous personnel, cut back on the budget, etc., in short, to do the necessary but unpleasant things. * /The firm hired Cranhart to be hatchet man; his title is that of Executive Vice President./
[hate one's guts] <v. phr.>, <slang> To feel a very strong dislike for someone. * /Dick said that he hated Fred's guts because Fred had been very mean to him./
[hats off to] or [one's hat is off to] <truncated phr.>, <informal> Used to recognize and praise a job well-done. * /Hats off to anyone who runs the twenty-six mile race./ * /My hat is off to the chef who created this delicious meal./ Compare: TAKE OFF ONE'S HAT TO.
[hatter] See: MAD AS A HATTER.
[haul] See: LONG HAUL.
[haul down] <v.>, <informal> 1. To catch (as a ball) usually after a long run. * /Willie hauled down a long fly to center field for the third out./ * /The star halfback hauled down the pass for a touchdown./ 2. To tackle in football. * /Ted was hauled down from behind when he tried to run with the ball./
[haul down one's colors] or [strike one's colors] <v. phr.> 1. To pull down a flag, showing you are beaten and want to stop fighting. * /After a long battle, the pirate captain hauled down his colors./ 2. To admit you are beaten; say you want to quit. * /After losing two sets of tennis, Tom hauled down his color./