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The H drawer
90 phrases beginning with H.
- Hair of the dog An alcoholic drink taken in the belief that it will ease a hangover caused by earlier drinking.
- Halcyon days A remembered period of happiness, prosperity, calm, or ideal conditions, almost always invoked retrospectively ('the halcyon days of something'). In…
- Hale and hearty Strong, healthy and energetic, particularly when describing an older person who remains vigorous. Old-fashioned and frequently applied to older…
- Half seas over Dated informal slang, chiefly British, for being drunk - specifically the cheerful middle stage of intoxication, as if halfway through the voyage from…
- Half the battle Said of the hardest or most decisive part of achieving something, usually in the pattern 'X is half the battle', meaning that once X is secured the…
- Half-baked Describing an idea, plan, or scheme that is poorly thought out, immature, or improperly developed before being announced or attempted; also extended…
- Ham it up To act or behave in a wildly exaggerated, showy way that plays for laughs or attention; the standard informal verb for overacting on stage or screen…
- Hammer and tongs With great energy, force or aggression, as in working, arguing or attacking without restraint. Usually modifies a vigorous activity and often follows…
- Hand in glove In extremely close association or cooperation with someone, working together as snugly as a hand fits its glove. Frequently, though not always, it…
- Hand over fist Rapidly and in large amounts, almost always describing money being made, gained, or lost. It works as an adverbial phrase, most often in the pattern…
- Hand-me-down A garment or other item passed on after being used by someone else, especially clothing handed from an older child to a younger one; by extension…
- Handle with kid gloves To treat someone or something with extreme gentleness, tact, or caution, typically because they are seen as fragile, volatile, or easily offended. It…
- Hands are tied To be unable to act or help, not from unwillingness but because rules, obligations, or circumstances beyond one's control forbid it. Usually said of a…
- Hang a Larry Turn left, especially while driving. Current but informal and regionally variable Regional use: Canada.
- Hang a Roger Turn right, especially while driving. Current but informal and regionally variable Regional use: Canada.
- Hang by a thread In a precarious, fragile state, teetering on the edge of collapse or survival, held by the slimmest chance.
- Hang in there To endure or persist through tough times, holding on.
- Hang out to dry To abandon someone to face trouble, criticism or punishment alone, especially after they had good reason to expect backing, often with blame shifted…
- Hang up your skates Retire from hockey or, figuratively, give up a career or activity. Current, especially in hockey contexts Regional use: Canada, with some use in other…
- Happy as a clam Very contented, comfortable, and satisfied. Current and widely understood Regional use: United States, probably associated early with the Northeast…
- Happy as a sandboy Extremely happy, carefree and high-spirited, often with a suggestion of simple contentment. Cheerful and informal. The occupational reference is…
- Happy as Larry Extremely happy and carefree. Usually positive and informal, with no necessary reference to a real Larry. Regional use: Australia, New Zealand, United…
- Hard and fast Strictly fixed, definite and not open to alteration, evasion or flexible interpretation. Most common before rule, distinction, deadline or boundary…
- Hard pass A firm, emphatic refusal or rejection of an offer, invitation, or suggestion; a non-negotiable no, often with a note of distaste. Stronger than a…
- Harp on To talk about something tediously and at length, returning to the same point again and again after everyone else has moved on. The metaphor is a…
- Hatchet man A person brought in to do an employer's unpleasant work - the firing of colleagues, the cutting of budgets, the character assassination of a rival -…
- Hate-watching The practice of following a television show, film, or video that you dislike on purpose, taking entertainment from mocking its flaws rather than from…
- Hats off to someone Used to praise, congratulate or give credit to someone for an achievement or admirable act ('hats off to the crews who brought the harvest in before…
- Have a beef with someone To have a complaint, grievance, or running quarrel with a person or group; the noun 'beef' covers everything from a single grumble to a lasting feud…
- Have a bone to pick Holding a grievance or issue to settle, itching for a confrontation.
- Have a butcher's To take a quick peek or look, a glance.
- Have a Captain Cook Have a look at something. Informal rhyming slang. Shortened Captain forms depend more heavily on shared cultural knowledge. Regional use: Australia.
- Have a chip on your shoulder Carry a lasting sense of grievance and behave defensively or combatively because you believe you have been treated unfairly or regarded as inferior…
- Have a dekko Have a look or inspect something briefly. Informal. Spellings vary because the term was transliterated and transmitted orally. Regional use: British…
- Have a screw loose Behave or think in a way the speaker considers eccentric, irrational, or mentally unsound. Informal and potentially offensive. It is often used as…
- Have a tiger by the tail Hold a wild risk or force, can't let go.
- Have an axe to grind Possess a private, often selfish motive or grievance that shapes one's advice, argument, or involvement in a matter. Usually critical. American…
- Have bigger fish to fry To have more important things to deal with.
- Have something up your sleeve To have a secret plan, idea or advantage held in reserve, ready to be produced if needed. The hidden thing can be concrete ('a surprise up her…
- Have the blues Feel depressed, melancholy or low in spirits; 'I've had the blues all week'. Informal and mild. The same noun gave its name to the blues, the…
- Have the last laugh To be vindicated at the end: to succeed or triumph after being mocked, dismissed, or doubted. The phrase carries the implication that the early…
- Have your cake and eat it Wanting it all, keeping and using.
- Have your head in the clouds To be dreamy, absent-minded, or out of touch with practical reality; said of someone absorbed in imagination, lofty ideas, or romantic notions at the…
- Head and shoulders above Measurably or dramatically better, taller or more impressive than everyone or everything else in a comparison. Applied to quality, ability…
- Head over heels Utterly and helplessly caught up in a feeling, especially romantic love, as in 'head over heels in love'. A literal sense describing a topsy-turvy…
- Head start An advantage gained by beginning earlier than others, whether as extra time, prior experience, or a better starting position. It applies literally to…
- Headliner The performer or act billed at the very top of a show, the one the programme is built around and who closes the night; more generally, the biggest…
- Heads will roll A prediction that people will be punished, dismissed from their posts, or forced to resign after a public failure or scandal, usually inside an…
- Heart in your mouth Feeling sharp fear, dread, or suspense. The idiom refers to the pounding, rising sensation in the chest and throat that danger or high suspense…
- Heart of gold Describes a person whose nature is kind, generous and fundamentally good, with gold standing for purity and value and the heart for inner character…
- Heavens to Betsy A mild, old-fashioned exclamation expressing surprise, alarm, disbelief, or exasperation without using a stronger oath. Playful, theatrical, or…
- Helicopter parent A parent who hovers over a child's everyday life with excessive supervision and intervention, managing schoolwork, conflicts, and even adult…
- Hell in a handbasket A rapid or unchecked decline into ruin, disorder, or moral decay. Current informal idiom Regional use: United States and Britain.
- Hell-bent for leather Moving with reckless speed or pursuing something with fierce determination. Colourful, somewhat old-fashioned Regional use: Blended American and…
- Helter-skelter In confused haste or disorder, without an orderly plan, sequence or arrangement. Works as an adverb, adjective or noun for disorder. In British…
- Henpecked Of a husband or male partner: continually nagged, bossed, or dominated at home, so that his own wishes count for little. Now dated and stereotyped…
- High and dry Stranded, helpless, or abandoned, usually through someone else's actions or through changed circumstances. Originally of a ship grounded above the…
- High muckety-muck An important or powerful person, usually mentioned with mockery rather than respect. Informal and mildly disparaging Regional use: Pacific Northwest…
- High on the hog In an affluent or luxurious manner, with access to expensive comforts. Informal and chiefly American.
- Highway robbery Used to complain that a price or charge is outrageously, offensively high; figurative extortion. Informal in every major variety of English, often in…
- Hit for six To devastate someone - to shock, floor, or thoroughly demoralise them, whether by a physical blow or a piece of news. The phrase is chiefly British…
- Hit the ground running To begin a new task, job, or project immediately, energetically, and effectively, with little or no settling-in time. It suggests readiness, momentum…
- Hit the hay To go to bed, especially to go to sleep for the night. It is an informal, chiefly American expression, though it is widely understood elsewhere…
- Hit the jackpot To achieve a sudden, striking success or gain, especially an unexpected windfall: winning a major prize, landing a huge contract, or getting a…
- Hit the nail on the head To describe or address something with perfect accuracy, pinpointing the truth or solution without error or excess. It evokes a carpenter's precise…
- Hither and thither In many different, changing or apparently aimless directions; repeatedly from one place to another. Literary or old-fashioned in ordinary prose…
- Hobson's choice A supposed choice in which the only real options are to accept what is offered or take nothing. Often confused with a dilemma between two bad…
- Hoist with your own petard Harmed or defeated by the very scheme or device intended to harm another. Hoist is Shakespeare's past participle. Both with and by occur today, though…
- Hold the fort To keep things steady or safe in someone's absence, standing guard.
- Hold the line To stand firm or keep steady, resisting pressure.
- Hold thumbs Hope for good luck or wish that something will succeed. The local equivalent of cross your fingers. It can refer either to the gesture or simply to…
- Hold water To stand up or hold true, solid as fact.
- Hold your horses To wait, slow down, or exercise patience before acting or proceeding, often used as a gentle command to curb impulsive behavior. It implies reining in…
- Hold your own To stand firm or compete well, keeping your ground.
- Hold your tongue To stay quiet or hold back words, biting them down.
- Holy mackerel An exclamation of surprise, alarm, or amazement. Mild, comic, and somewhat old-fashioned Regional use: United States, later wider English.
- Honcho The person in charge: a boss, manager, or ringleader, most often met in the phrase 'head honcho' for the top boss. It is informal, slightly jokey…
- Honeymoon period The early phase of anything - marriage, government, job, merger - when goodwill runs ahead of experience and nothing has yet gone wrong. The phrase…
- Horse of a different color A person, thing, argument, or situation that is fundamentally different from the one previously discussed or expected. Informal but widely understood…
- Hot potato A controversial or awkward question that nobody wants to handle, because touching it brings blame, trouble or political damage; often found as 'a…
- Hot under the collar Angry, irritated or flustered, typically about something said or done ('he gets hot under the collar whenever the auditors visit'). Informal; it…
- How do you like them apples A gloating, taunting rhetorical question - 'what do you think of that?' - delivered after scoring a point, springing a surprise, or handing someone an…
- Hubris Insolent pride or overweening self-confidence, especially the kind that blinds someone to risk and invites downfall. In modern English it is strongly…
- Hue and cry A loud public outcry, alarm or protest raised collectively against a person or event. Often implies noisy or excessive protest. The historical phrase…
- Humblebrag A statement, usually a complaint or a show of modesty, that is really intended to boast; for example sighing about how exhausting it is to be asked…
- Hunky-dory Fine, satisfactory, or proceeding without trouble. Current, light-hearted, and slightly old-fashioned Regional use: United States.
- Hurly-burly Noisy disorder, uproar or tumult created by confused activity, argument or conflict. More colourful than commotion or confusion and often suggests…
- Hush money Money paid to stop someone revealing information, usually about the payer's own misconduct. The payment buys silence rather than any service, so the…
- Hustle culture An ethos, associated with startup and social-media-era workplaces, that treats constant work, long hours and relentless self-optimisation as the…
- Hypnotic Fascinating to the point of trance - holding attention so completely that everything else falls away. Strictly it means of hypnosis, the induced…