Текст книги "Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц"

Автор книги: Adam Makkai

Соавторы: Maya Glinberg
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[have the lead]{v. phr.} To occupy the most prominent part in something. •/Maria has the lead in our school play./

[have the makings of]{v. phr.} To possess the basic ingredients; have the basic qualities to do something. •/Tom is still young but he seems to have the makings of an excellent pianist./

[have the right-of-way]{v. phr.} To have priority in proceeding in traffic on a public highway while other vehicles must yield and wait. •/«Go ahead,» he said. «We have the right-of-way at this intersection.»/

[have the time of one’s life] See: TIME OF ONE’S LIFE.

[have the worst of] See: GET THE WORST OF.

[have to] or [have got to]{v.}, {informal} To be obliged or forced to; need to; must. •/Do you have to go now?/ •/He had to come. His parents made him./ •/I have got to go to the doctor./ •/I have to go to Church./

[have to do with]{v. phr.} 1. To be about; be on the subject of or connected with. •/The book has to do with airplanes./ 2. To know or be a friend of; work or have business with. – Usually used in negative sentence. •/Tom said he didn’t want to have anything to do with the new boy./ •/I had nothing to do with the party; I was home that night./

[have too many irons in the fire] See: TOO MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE.

[have two strikes against one] or [have two strikes on one]{v. phr.}, {informal} To have things working against you; be hindered in several ways; be in a difficult situation; be unlikely to succeed. •/Children from the poorest parts of a city often have two strikes against them before they enter school./ •/George has two strikes against him already. Everybody is against what he wants to do./ Compare: BEHIND THE EIGHT BALL. (In baseball, three strikes are out. If the umpire calls two strikes against the batter, he has only one strike left and will be out if he gets one more strike.)

[haw] See: HEM AND HAW.

[hay] See: HIT THE HAY.

[haystack] See: NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK.

[haywire] See: GO HAYWIRE.

[hazard] See: AT ALL HAZARDS.

[haze] See: IN A FOG or IN A HAZE.

[head] See: ACID HEAD, BEAT INTO ONE’S HEAD, BEAT ONE’S HEAD AGAINST A WALL, BIG HEAD, COUNT HEADS, EYES IN THE BACK OF ONE’S HEAD, FROM HEAD TO FOOT, GET THROUGH ONE’S HEAD, GOOD HEAD ON ONE’S SHOULDERS, GO TO ONE’S HEAD, HANG ONE’S HEAD, HAVE ONE’S HEAD IN THE SAND, HAVE ROCKS IN ONE’S HEAD, HEAP COALS OF FIRE ON ONE’S HEAD, HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD, HANG OVER ONE’S HEAD, HIDE ONE’S FACE or HIDE ONE’S HEAD, HOLD ONE’S HEAD UP, KEEP A CIVIL TONGUE IN ONE’S HEAD, KEEP ONE’S HEAD, LOSE ONE’S HEAD, MAKE HEAD OR TAIL OF, OFF THE TOP OF ONE’S HEAD, ON ONE’S HEAD, OUT OF ONE’S HEAD, also OFF ONE’S HEAD, OVER ONE’S HEAD, PRICE ON ONE’S HEAD, PUT THEIR HEADS TOGETHER or LAY THEIR HEADS TOGETHER, SWELLED HEAD, TAKE INTO ONE’S HEAD, TELL – WHERE TO GET OFF or TELL – WHERE TO HEAD IN, THROW ONESELF AT SOMEONE’S HEAD or FLING ONESELF AT SOMEONE’S HEAD, TURN ONE’S HEAD, USE ONE’S HEAD.

[head above water]{n. phr.} out of difficulty; clear of trouble. •/How are your marks at school? Are you keeping your head above water?/ •/Business at the store is bad. They can’t keep their heads above water./

[head and shoulders]{adv. phr.} 1. By the measure of the head and shoulders. •/The basketball player is head and shoulders taller than the other boys./ 2. By far; by a great deal; very much. •/She is head and shoulders above the rest of the class in singing./ See: FAR AND AWAY.

[header] See: DOUBLE-HEADER.

[head for]{v. phr.} To go in the direction of. •/We left early in the morning and headed for Niagara Falls./

[head for the hills]{v. phr.}, {informal} To get far away in a hurry; run away and hide. – Often used imperatively. •/Head for the hills. The bandits are coming./ •/He saw the crowd chasing him, so he headed for the hills./ •/When they saw the mean boy coming, they all headed for the hills./ Compare: BEAT IT, LIGHT OUT, TAKE TO THE WOODS.

[head-hunting]{n.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. The custom of seeking out, decapitating, and preserving the heads of enemies as trophies. 2. A search for qualified individuals to fill certain positions. •/The president sent a committee to the colleges and universities to do some head-hunting; we hope he finds some young talent./ 3. A systematic destruction of opponents, especially in politics. •/Billings was hired by the party to do some head-hunting among members of the opposition./

[head in the clouds] See: IN THE CLOUDS.

[head in the sand] See: HIDE ONE’S HEAD IN THE SAND.

[head off]{v.} 1. To get in front of and stop, turn back, or turn aside. •/The sheriff said to head the cattle thieves off at the pass./ 2. To block; stop; prevent. •/He will get into trouble if someone doesn’t head him off./

[head-on]{adj.} or {adv. phr.} 1. With the head or front pointing at; with the front facing; front end to front end. •/Our car skidded into a head-on crash with the truck./ •/In the fog the boat ran head-on into a log./ •/There is a head-on view of the parade from our house./ Compare: FACE-TO-FACE. Contrast: REAR-END. 2. In a way that is exactly opposite; against or opposed to in argument. •/If you think a rule should be changed, a head-on attack against it is best./ •/Tom did not want to argue head-on what the teacher said, so he said nothing./

[head out]{v.} 1. To go or point away. •/The ship left port and headed out to sea./ •/The car was parked beside the house. It was headed out towards the street./ 2. {informal} Leave; start out. •/I have a long way to go before dark. I’m going to head out./

[head over heels] also [heels over head] 1a. In a somersault; upside down; head first. •/It was so dark Bob fell head over heels into a big hole in the ground./ Compare: UPSIDE DOWN. 1b. In great confusion or disorder; hastily. •/The children all tried to come in the door at once, head over heels./ Compare: TOPSY-TURVY. 2. {informal} Completely; deeply. •/He was head over heels in debt./ •/She was head over heels in love./

[headshrinker]{n.}, {slang}, {informal} A psychoanalyst, also called a shrink. •/Forrester is falling apart; his family physician sent him to a head shrinker (to a shrink)./

[head start]{n.} 1. A beginning before someone; lead or advantage at the beginning. •/The other racers knew they couldn’t catch Don if he got too big a head start./ •/Joe has a head start. He began to study earlier than we did./ 2. A good beginning. •/Let’s get a head start in painting the house by getting up early./ •/The teacher gave the class a head start on the exercise by telling them the answers to the first two problems./ Compare: RUNNING START.

[heads or tails]{n. phr.} The two sides of a coin, especially when the coin is tossed in the air in order to decide which of two alternatives are to be followed. •/Tom tossed a quarter in the air and said, «Tails, I win; heads you win.»/

[heads up]{interj.}, {informal} Keep your head up and be careful or ready. – Used as a warning to prepare for something or clear the way •/«Heads up!» said the waiter carrying the hot food./ •/Heads up, boys! A train is coming./ •/Heads up, now! You can do better than that./ Syn.: LOOK ALIVE, LOOK OUT.

[heads-up]{adj.}, {informal} Wide-awake; alert; watchful; intelligent. •/You must play hard, heads-up baseball to win this game./ Compare: ON ONE’S TOES, ON THE BALL.

[head up]{v.}, {informal} 1. To be at the head or front of. •/The elephants headed up the whole parade./ 2. To be the leader or boss of. •/Mr. Jones will head up the new business./ •/The class planned a candy sale, and they elected Mary to head it up./

[health] See: CLEAN HILL OF HEALTH.

[heap] See: STRIKE ALL OF A HEAP.

[heap coals of fire on one’s head]{v. phr.}, {literary} To be kind or helpful to someone who has done wrong to you, so that he is ashamed. •/Alice heaped coals of fire on Mary’s head by inviting her to a party after Mary had gossiped about her./ •/Jean Valjean stole the Bishop’s silver, but the Bishop heaped coals of fire on his head by giving the silver to him./

[hear] See: WILL NOT HEAR OF.

[hear a pin drop]{v. phr.} Absolute silence. •/It’s so quiet in the room you could hear a pin drop./

[heart] See: AFTER ONE’S OWN HEART, AT HEART, EAT ONE’S HEART OUT, BREAK ONE’S HEART, BY HEART, CHANGE OF HEART, CROSS ONE’S HEART, DO ONE GOOD or DO ONE’S HEART GOOD, FIND IT IN ONE’S HEART, FROM THE BOTTOM OF ONE’S HEART or WITH ALL ONE’S HEART, FROM THE HEART, GET TO THE HEART OF, HAVE A HEART, HEAVY HEART, LOSE HEART, LOSE ONE’S HEART, OPEN HEART, OPEN ONE’S HEART, SEARCH ONE’S HEART, SET ONE’S HEART ON, TAKE HEART, TAKE TO HEART, TO ONE’S HEART’S CONTENT, WEAR ONE’S HEART ON ONE’S SLEEVE.

[heartbreaker]{n.} One with numerous admirers of the opposite sex; one with whom others fall in love readily. •/Tom, who has four girls in love with him at college, has developed the reputation of being a heartbreaker./

[heart and soul(1)]{n.} Eager love; strong feeling; great enthusiasm. Often used with a singular verb. •/When Mr. Pitt plays the piano, his heart and soul is in it./ •/John plays tennis badly, but with heart and soul./ •/Mary wanted a puppy with all her heart and soul./

[heart and soul(2)]{adv.} Wholly and eagerly; with all one’s interest and strength; completely. •/Will you try to make our city a better place? Then we are with you heart and soul./ •/Mike was heart and soul against the new rules./ Compare: BODY AND SOUL.

[heart goes out to]{formal} You feel very sorry for; you feel pity or sympathy for. – Used with a possessive. •/Frank’s heart went out to the poor children playing in the slum street./ •/Our hearts went out to the young mother whose child had died./

[hear the beat] or [see the beat]{v. phr.}, {dialect} To hear of or to see someone or something better or surpassing. – Usually used in negative or interrogative sentences and often followed by «of». •/I never heard the beat! John swam all the way across the river. Did you ever hear the beat of it?/ •/The juggler spun a table around on the tip of his finger. I never saw the beat of that./

[heart in one’s mouth] or [heart in one’s boots] A feeling of great fear or nervousness. – Often considered trite. •/Charles got up to make his first speech with his heart in his mouth./ •/My heart was in my mouth as I went into the haunted house./ •/When the bear came out of the woods towards us, our hearts were in our mouths./ Compare: HAIR STAND ON END.

[heart is in the right place] or [have one’s heart in the right place] To be kind-hearted, sympathetic or well-meaning; have good intentions. •/All the tramps and stray dogs in the neighborhood knew that Mrs. Brown’s heart was in the right place./ •/Tom looks very rough but his heart is in the right place./

[heart miss a beat] See: HEART SKIP A BEAT.

[heart of gold]{n. phr.} A kind, generous, or forgiving nature. •/John has a heart of gold. I never saw him angry at anyone./ •/Mrs. Brown is a rich woman with a heart of gold./ Compare: GOOD AS GOLD, HEART IN THE RIGHT PLACE.

[heart of stone]{n. phr.} A. nature without pity. •/Mr. Smith has a heart of stone. He whipped his horse until it fell down./

[heart-searching] See: SEARCH ONE’S HEART.

[heart set] See: SET ONE’S HEART ON.

[heart sink] To lose hope, courage, or eagerness; be very disappointed. •/The soldiers' hearts sank when they saw that they were surrounded by Indians./ •/The children were happy because they were going to the beach to swim, but their hearts sank when it began to rain./

[heart skip a beat] or [heart miss a beat] 1. The heart leaves out or seems to leave out a beat; the heart beats hard or leaps from excitement or strong feeling. – Often considered trite. •/When Paul saw the bear standing in front of him, his heart skipped a beat./ 2. To be startled or excited from surprise, joy. or fright. •/When Linda was told that she had won, her heart missed a beat./

[heart stand still]{v. phr.} To be very frightened or worried. •/Johnny’s heart stood still when he saw his dog run into the street in front of a car./ •/Everybody’s heart stood still when the President announced that war was declared./ Compare: HAIR STAND ON END.

[heart-to-heart]{adj.} Speaking freely and seriously about something private. •/The father decided to have a heart-to-heart talk with his son about smoking./ •/She waited until they were alone so she could have a heart-to-heart talk with him./ Compare: MAN-TO-MAN.

[hearty] See: HALE AND HEARTY.

[heat] See: CANNED HEAT.

[heave in sight]{v. phr.} To seem to rise above the horizon at sea and come into sight; come into view; become visible. – Usually used of ships. •/A ship hove in sight many miles away on the horizon./

[heaven] See: MOVE HEAVEN AND EARTH, WOULD THAT or WOULD HEAVEN.

[heaven knows] or [heaven only knows] See: GOD KNOWS.

[heavenly days!]{interj.}, {informal} Exclamation of amazement and disbelief with negative coloring. •/Heavenly days! Look what happened! The dog did it again on the Persian carpet!/ Compare: GOOD GRIEF!

[heave to]{v.} To bring a ship to a stop; bring a sailing ship to a standstill by setting the sails in a certain way. •/«Heave to!» the captain shouted to his crew./ •/We fired a warning shot across the front of the pirate ship to make her heave to./

[heave up] See: THROW UP.

[heavy] See: HANG HEAVY or HANG HEAVY ON ONE’S HANDS, HOT AND HEAVY.

[heavy-duty]{adj.} Made for long or hard use; very strong. •/The lumberman used heavy-duty trucks for hauling logs down the mountains./ •/The workers in the steel mill have heavy-duty gloves for handling hot steel./ •/Mrs. Carlson bought a heavy-duty cleanser to clean her greasy oven./

[heavy-footed]{adj.} 1. Slow and clumsy in walking or movement; awkward in using your feet. •/The fat man tried to dance, but he was too heavy-footed./ •/Martha is not fat, but she is heavy-footed and walks noisily./ 2. Awkward in choice and order of words; not smooth and graceful; clumsy. •/In Mary’s compositions, the words seem to dance, but John’s compositions are always heavy-footed./ 3. or [lead-footed]{informal} Likely to drive an automobile fast. •/Jerry is a bad driver because he is too heavy-footed./ Compare: STEP ON IT.

[heavy-handed]{adj.} 1. Not skillful or graceful; clumsy. •/George is heavy-handed and seldom catches the ball./ •/My sister plays the piano badly; she is too heavy-handed./ •/Tim told a heavy-handed joke about the principal’s baldness that embarrassed everyone./ 2. Likely to hit or punish hard; harsh or cruel in making (someone) obey. •/Years ago many fathers were heavy-handed bosses in their homes./ •/Many American colonists believed that the English tax collectors were too heavy-handed./ 3. See: HAM-HANDED.

[heavy heart]{n. phr.} A feeling of being weighed down with sorrow; unhappiness. •/They had very heavy hearts as they went to the funeral./

[heck] See: RAISE THE DEVIL or RAISE HECK or RAISE HOB or RAISE NED.

[heck of it] See: DEVIL OF IT.

[hedge about] or [hedge in] 1. To surround with a hedge or barrier; protect or separate by closing in. •/The house is hedged about with hushes and trees./ •/The little garden is hedged in to keep the chickens out./ 2. To keep from getting out or moving freely; keep from acting freely; block in. •/The boys are hedged in today. They can only play in the backyard./ •/The king said he could not make new laws if he was so hedged in by old ones./ Syn.: FENCE IN.

[hedged in] See: FENCED IN.

[heed] See: TAKE HEED.

[heel] See: AT ONE’S HEELS, COOL ONE’S HEELS, DOWN AT-THE-HEEL or DOWN-AT-HEEL, DRAG ONE’S FEET or DRAG ONE’S HEELS, HEAD OVER HEELS, KICK UP ONE’S HEELS, ON ONE’S HEELS or ON THE HEELS OF, SET BACK ON ONE’S HEELS or KNOCK BACK ON ONE’S HEELS, TAKE TO ONE’S HEELS also SHOW A CLEAN PAIR OF HEELS, TO HEEL, TURN ON ONE’S HEEL, WELL-HEELED.

[heels over head] See: HEAD OVER HEELS.

[he laughs best who laughs last] A person should go ahead with what he is doing and not worry when others laugh at him. When he succeeds he will enjoy laughing at them for being wrong more than they enjoyed laughing at him. – A proverb. •/Everyone laughed at Mary when she was learning to ski. She kept falling down. Now she is the state champion. He laughs best who laughs last./ Compare: CHANGE ONE’S TUNE, LAST LAUGH, LAUGH ON THE OTHER SIDE OF ONE’S MOUTH, SHOE ON THE OTHER FOOT.

[hell] See: COME HELL OR HIGH WATER, GO THROUGH HELL AND HIGH WATER, HELL-ON-WHEELS, LIKE HELL, TO HELL WITH, UNTIL HELL FREEZES OVER, WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER.

[hell and high water]{n. phr.} Troubles or difficulties of any kind. •/After John’s father died he went through hell and high water, but he managed to keep the family together./ Compare: COME HELL OR HIGH WATER.

[hell-on-wheels]{n.}, {slang} A short-tempered, nagging, or crabby person especially one who makes another unhappy by constantly criticizing him even when he has done nothing wrong. •/Finnegan complains that his wife is hell on wheels; he is considering getting a divorce./

[help] See: CAN HELP, CAN’T HELP BUT or CANNOT BUT, SO HELP ME.

[help oneself]{v. phr.} To take what you want; take rather than ask or wail to be given. •/Help yourself to another piece of pie./ •/John helped himself to some candy without asking./

[help out]{v.} 1. To be helpful or useful; help sometimes or somewhat. •/Mr. Smith helps out with the milking on the farm./ •/Tom helps out in the store after school./ 2. To help (someone) especially in a time of need; aid; assist. •/Jane is helping out Mother by minding the baby./ •/When John couldn’t add the numbers, the teacher helped him out./

[helter-skelter]{adv.} 1. At a fast speed, but in confusion. •/The hatted ball broke Mr. Jones’s window, and the boys ran away helter-skelter./ •/When the bell rang, the pupils ran helter-skelter out of the door./ 2. In a confusing group; in disorder. •/The movers piled the furniture helter-skelter in the living room of the new house./ •/Mary fell down and her books, papers, and lunch landed helter-skelter over the sidewalk./ Compare: EVERY WHICH WAY.

[he-man]{n.}, {informal} A man who is very strong, brave, and healthy. •/Larry was a real he-man when he returned from service with the Marines./

[hem and haw]{v. phr.} 1. To pause or hesitate while speaking, often with little throat noises. •/The man was a poor lecturer because he hemmed and hawed too much./ 2. To avoid giving a clear answer; be evasive in speech. •/The principal asked Bob why he was late to school, and Bob only hemmed and hawed./ Compare: BEAT AROUND THE BUSH.

[hem in] or [hem around] or [hem about]{v.} 1. To put something around, or to be placed around; surround. •/Mountains hemmed the town in on all sides./ •/As soon as Tom and Bob started to fight, they were hemmed around by other boys./ 2. See: FENCE IN.

[hen] See: MAD AS A HORNET or MAD AS HOPS or MAD AS A WET HEN.

[hen party]{n. phr.}, {informal} A party to which only women or girls are invited. •/The sorority gave a hen party for its members./ Contrast: STAG PARTY. See: GO STAG.

[Henry] See: JOHN HANCOCK or JOHN HENRY.

[her] See: GIVE IT THE GUN or GIVE HER THE GUN.

[herd] See: RIDE HERD ON.

[here] See: ALL THERE or ALL HERE, NEITHER HERE NOR THERE, SAME HERE.

[here and now(1)]{adv. phr.} At this very time and place; right now; immediately. •/I want my dime back, and I want it here and now./ Compare: THEN AND THERE.

[here and now(2)]{n.} The present time and place; today. •/He enjoys the pleasures of the here and now and never worries about the future./ •/«I want my steak here and now!»/

[here and there]{adv. phr.} 1. In one place and then in another. •/I looked here and there for my pen, but I didn’t look everywhere./ •/Here and there in the yard little yellow flowers had sprung up./ 2. In various directions. •/We went here and there looking for berries./ Compare: HITHER AND THITHER.

[here goes]{interj.}, {informal} I am ready to begin; I am now ready and willing to take the chance; I am hoping for the best. – Said especially before beginning something that takes skill, luck, or courage. •/«Here goes!» said Charley, as he jumped off the high diving board./ •/«Here goes!» said Mary as she started the test./

[here goes nothing]{interj.}, {informal} I am ready to begin, but this will be a waste of time; this will not be anything great; this will probably fail. – Used especially before beginning something that takes skill, luck or courage. •/«Here goes nothing,» said Bill at the beginning of the race./

[hide] See: HAVE ONE’S HIDE, TAN ONE’S HIDE.

[hide one’s face] or [hide one’s head]{v. phr.} 1. To lower your head or turn your face away because of shame or embarrassment. •/The teacher found out that Tom had cheated, and Tom hid his head./ •/When Bob said how pretty Mary was, she blushed and hid her face./ 2. To feel embarrassed or ashamed. •/We will beat the other team so badly that they will hide their heads in shame./

[hide one’s head in the sand] or [bury one’s head in the sand] or [have one’s head in the sand] To keep from seeing, knowing, or understanding something dangerous or unpleasant; to refuse to see or face something. •/If there is a war, you cannot just bury your head in the sand./

[hide one’s light under a bushel]{v. phr.} To be very shy and modest and not show your abilities or talents; be too modest in letting others see what you can do. •/When Joan is with her close friends she has a wonderful sense of humor, but usually she hides her light under a bushel./ •/Mr. Smith is an expert in many fields, but most people think he is not very smart because he hides his light under a bushel./ •/All year long Tommy hid his light under a bushel and the teacher was surprised to see how much he knew when she read his exam paper./

[hide or hair] or [hide nor hair]{n. phr.}, {informal} A sign or trace of someone that is gone or lost; any sign at all of something missing. Usually used in negative or interrogative sentence. •/Tommy left the house this morning and I haven’t seen hide or hair of him since./ •/A button fell off my coat and I could find neither hide nor hair of it./

[hide out]{v. phr.} To go into hiding, as in the case of a criminal on the run. •/He tried to hide out but the police tracked him down./

[hideout]{n.} A place where one hides. •/The wanted criminal used several hideouts but he was captured in the end./

[high] See: COME HELL OR HIGH WATER, FLYING HIGH, GO THROUGH HELL AND HIGH WATER, HELL AND HIGH WATER, HIT THE HIGH SPOTS, LIVE HIGH OFF THE HOG or EAT HIGH ON THE HOG, OFF ONE’S HIGH HORSE, ON TOP OF THE WORLD or SITTING ON TOP OF THE WORLD also ({southern}) SITTING ON HIGH COTTON, RIDING HIGH.

[high and dry]{adv.} or {adj. phr.} 1. Up above the water; beyond the reach of splashing or waves. •/Mary was afraid she had left her towel where the tide would reach it, but she found it high and dry./ •/When the tide went out the boat was high and dry./ 2. Without anyone to help; alone and with no help. •/When the time came to put up the decorations, Mary was left high and dry./ •/At first the other boys helped, but when the work got hard. Bob found himself high and dry./ Compare: LEAVE IN THE LURCH, OUT IN THE COLD.

[high and low]{adv.} Everywhere. •/The police were searching for the criminal high and low, but they couldn’t find him./

[high-and-mighty]{adj.}, {informal} Feeling more important or superior to someone else; too proud of yourself. •/John wasn’t invited to the party, because he acted too high-and-mighty./ •/Mary become high-and-mighty when she won the prize, and Joan would not go around with her any more./ Compare: STUCK-UP.

[high as a kite]{adj.} 1. As excited and happy as one can possibly be. •/When Eric won the lottery he was high as a kite./ 2. Intoxicated or under the influence of some drug. •/Jeff has been drinking again and he is high as a kite./ Compare: THREE SHEETS IN/TO THE WIND.

[highbrow]{adj.} Very well educated or even over-educated; belonging to the educated middle class; sophisticated. •/Certain novels are not for everyone and are considered as highbrow entertainment./ Contrast: LOW BROW.

[high camp]{n.}, {slang}, {show business} 1. Kitsch, or pretentious material in bad taste that is still liked by higher class audiences. •/«The Potsdam Quartet» is a play full of high camp./ 2. An exaggerated movie or theater scene that loses believability. •/Scarecrow and Mrs. King and Sledge Hammer are so full of high camp that no sensible people watch them anymore./ [middle camp] and [low camp] refer to theatrical kitsch preferred by middle class and low class audiences, respectively.

[high-class]{adj.} Of the best quality; very good; superior. – Avoided by many careful speakers. •/When Mr. Brown got a raise in pay, Mrs. Brown started to look for a high-class apartment./ •/Mrs. Smith always gets her clothing at high-class shops./ •/Mr. Jones always gets his office workers from Burns Agency because they have high-class help./ Compare: FIRST-CLASS.

[higher education]{n.} Schooling after graduation from high school, especially in a college or university. •/Tom plans to get his higher education at the state university./

[higher-up]{n.}, {informal} One of the people who has one of the more important positions in an organization; an important official. •/The teacher’s problem was discussed by the higher-ups./ •/The local officers of the scout group approved the plan, but the state higher-ups did not accept it./

[high fashion] or [high style]{n. phr.} The new style in women’s dress set each season by designers in Paris or other fashion centers and accepted by fashionable women. •/The high styles designed in Paris are often quickly copied by makers of cheap clothing./

[high gear]{n. phr.}, {informal} Top speed; full activity. •/Production got into high gear after the vacation./ •/An advertising campaign for the new toothpaste promptly moved into high gear./

[high-handed]{adj.} Depending on force rather than right; bossy; dictatorial. •/With high-handed daring, John helped himself to the best food on the table./ •/Mr. Smith was a high-handed tyrant in his office./

[high-hat(1)]{adj.}, {slang} Treating others as inferior; acting above others. /It was an expensive place to eat, and the customers were likely to be a little high-hat./ /Jones acted high-hat toward anyone poorer than he./

[high-hat(2)]{v.}, {slang} To treat others as inferior; look down on. •/After she had married a rich man, Mary high-hatted her former friends./ •/«Don’t high-hat me,» Fred warned, when Harry began to walk away as if he didn’t know him./ Compare: BRUSH OFF.

[high jinks]{n. phr.}, {informal} Noisy or rough gaiety; wild play; tricks. •/The sailors were on shore leave, and high jinks were to be expected./ •/The high school seniors engaged in high jinks after commencement./

[high off the hog] See: LIVE HIGH OFF THE HOG.

[high on]{adj. phr.} 1. Intoxicated on some drug or alcoholic drink. •/Rob was severely scolded by the dean for always being high on marijuana./ 2. Enthusiastic about something. •/Jeff is high on Beethoven and Brahms./

[high place]{n. phr.} A position of responsibility, honor, and power. •/Jones had reached a high place in the government at Washington./

[high seas]{n. phr.} The open ocean, not the waters near the coast. •/It was a big powerful liner built to sail on the high seas./ •/The ships of every country have the right to sail on the high seas./

[high season]{n. phr.} The time of year when the largest number of passengers are travelling; the time when airfare costs more. •/We had to pay $100 more for our tickets because it was the high season./ Contrast: LOW SEASON.

[high sign]{n. phr.}, {informal} A silent signal of recognition, greeting, or warning; an open or secret signal between two persons. – Used with «get» or «give». •/The Joneses saw us across the hotel dining room and gave us the high sign./ •/John could see that Grace wanted to tell him something, but he got her attention and frowned. She got the high sign and waited until the teacher had moved on before speaking./

[high-sounding]{adj.} Sounding important; said for showing off; too fancy. •/The politician’s speech was full of high-sounding words./ •/Mr. Brown filled his son with many high-sounding ideas about life./

[high-strung]{adj.} Nervous; sensitive; tense. •/Gary has been rather high-strung lately because of too much work at the office./

[high style] See: HIGH FASHION.

[hightail it]{v. phr.}, {slang} To travel fast; move rapidly. •/After school, Frank would hightail it home./ •/The two men who held up the bank hightailed it out of town./

[high time]{adj. phr.}, {used predicatively} (stress on «time») Dire, necessary, and sufficient circumstances prompting action. •/It is high time we sold the old house; it will fall apart within a year./

[highway] See: DIVIDED HIGHWAY or DUAL HIGHWAY.

[highway robbery]{n. phr.} 1. A hold-up of or theft from a person committed on an open road or street usually by an armed man. •/Highway robbery was common in England in Shakespeare’s day./ 2. An extremely high price or charge; a profiteer’s excessive charge. •/To someone from a small town, the prices of meals and theater tickets in New York often seem to he highway robbery./

[hill] See: GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE or GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HILL, HEAD FOR THE HILLS.

[hilt] See: TO THE HILT or UP TO THE HILT.

[hinge on] or [hinge upon]{v.} To depend on as decisive: be decided by. •/In a dictatorship, everything hinges on one man./ •/A tobacco grower’s income for the year may hinge on what the weather is like in a few summer weeks./

[hired man]{n. phr.} A man employed to do jobs every day about a house or farm. •/The hired man was sick, and a lot of the daily chores were not done./

[hire out]{v.}, {informal} 1. To accept a job; take employment. •/Frank hired out as a saxophonist with a dance band./ 2. To rent (as owner). •/John used to hire out his tractor sometimes when he didn’t need it himself./

[history] See: GO DOWN IN HISTORY or GO DOWN IN THE RECORDS.

[hit] See: HARD-HITTING, MAKE A HIT, SMASH HIT.

[hit and miss] See: HIT OR MISS.

[hit-and-run]{adj.} 1. Of or about an accident after which a motorist drives away without giving his name and offering help. •/Judges are stern with hit-and-run drivers./ 2. Striking suddenly and leaving quickly. •/The bandits often made hit-and-run attacks on wagon trains./