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[how come]{informal} also {nonstandard} [how’s come] {interrog.} How does it happen that? Why? •/How come you are late?/ •/You’re wearing your best clothes today. How come?/ Compare: WHAT FOR.
[how do you do]{formal} How are you? — Usually as a reply to an introduction; it is in the form of a question but no answer is expected. •/"Mary, I want you to meet my friend Fred. Fred, this is my wife, Mary." "How do you do, Mary?" "How do you do, Fred?"/
[how goes it?]{v. phr.}, {interrog.} How are you and your affairs in general progressing? •/Jim asked Bill, "how goes it with the new wife and the new apartment?"/
[howling success]{n.}, {informal} A great success; something that is much praised; something that causes wide enthusiasm. •/The party was a howling success./ •/The book was a howling success./
[how’s come] See: HOW COME.
[how so]{interrog.} How is that so? Why is it so? How? Why? •/I said the party was a failure and she asked. "How so?"/ •/He said his brother was not a good dancer and I asked him, "How so? "/
[how’s that]{informal} What did you say? Will you please repeat that? •/"I’ve just been up in a balloon for a day and a half." "How’s that?"/ •/"The courthouse is on fire." "How’s that again?"/
[how the land lies] See: LAY OF THE LAND.
[how the wind blows] See: WAY THE WIND BLOWS.
[huddle] See: GO INTO A HUDDLE.
[hue and cry]{n.} 1. An alarm and chase after a supposed wrongdoer; a pursuit usually by shouting men. •/"Stop, thief," cried John as he ran. Others joined him, and soon there was a hue and cry./ 2. An excited mass protest, alarm, or outcry of any kind. •/The explosion was so terrible that people at a distance raised a great hue and cry about an earthquake./
[hug the road]{v. phr.} To stay firmly on the road; ride smoothly without swinging. •/A heavy car with a low center of gravity will hug the road./ •/At high speeds a car will not hug the road well./
[huh-uh] or [hum-um] or [uh-uh] {adv.}, {informal} No. — Used only in speech or to record dialogue. •/Did Mary come? Huh-uh./ •/Is it raining out? Uh-uh./ Contrast: UH-UH.
[humble] See: EAT HUMBLE PIE.
[hump] See: OVER THE HUMP.
[hundred] See: BY THE DOZEN or BY THE HUNDRED or BY THE THOUSAND.
[hunky-dory]{adj.} OK; satisfactory; fine. •/The landlord asked about our new apartment and we told him that so far everything was hunky-dory./
[hunt] See: RUN WITH THE HARE AND HUNT (RIDE) WITH THE HOUNDS.
[hunt and peck]{n. phr.}, {informal} Picking out typewriter keys by sight, usually with one or two fingers; not memorizing the keys. •/Many newspaper reporters do their typing by hunt and peck./ — Often used, with hyphens, as an adjective. •/Mr. Barr taught himself to type, and he uses the hunt-and-peck system./
[hunt down]{v.} 1. To pursue and capture; look hard for an animal or person until found and caught. •/The police hunted down the escaped prisoner./ Compare: TRACK DOWN. 2. To search for (something) until one finds it. •/Professor Jones hunted down the written manuscript in the Library of Congress./ Syn.: TRACK DOWN.
[hunting] See: HAPPY HUNTING GROUND.
[hunt up]{v.} To find or locate by search. •/When John was in Chicago, he hunted up some old friends./ •/The first thing Fred had to do was to hunt up a hotel room./
[hurry on with] or [make haste with] {v. phr.} To make rapid progress in an undertaking. •/Sue promised to hurry on with the report and send it out today./
[hurry up]{v. phr.} To rush (an emphatic form of hurry). •/Hurry up or we’ll miss our plane./
[hurt] See: CRY BEFORE ONE IS HURT or HOLLER BEFORE ONE IS HURT.
[hush-hush]{adj.}, {informal} Kept secret or hidden; kept from public knowledge; hushed up; concealed. •/The company had a new automobile engine that it was developing, but kept it a hush-hush project until they knew it was successful./
[hush up]{v.} 1. To keep news of (something) from getting out; prevent people from knowing about. •/It isn’t always easy to hush up a scandal./ 2. {informal} To be or make quiet; stop talking, crying, or making some other noise. — Often used as a command. •/"Hush up," Mother said, when we began to repeat ugly gossip./
I
[ice] See: BLOOD RUNS COLD or BLOOD TURNS TO ICE, BREAK THE ICE, CUT ICE, ON ICE, SKATE ON THIN ICE.
[iceberg] See: COOL AS AN ICEBERG.
[idea] See: THE IDEA, WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA or WHAT’S THE IDEA.
[I declare]{interj.}, {dialect} Well; oh my; truly. — Used for emphasis. •/I declare, it has been a very warm day!/ •/Mother said, "I declare, John, you have grown a foot."/
[idiot box]{n.} A television set. •/Phil has been staring at the idiot box all afternoon./
[if] See: WHAT IF.
[if anything]{adv. phr.} More likely; instead; rather. •/The weather forecast is not for cooler weather; if anything, it is expected to be warmer./ •/Joe isn’t a bad boy. If anything he’s a pretty good one./ Compare: MATTER OF FACT.
[if it’s not one thing it’s another] If a certain thing doesn’t go wrong, another most probably will. •/When John lost his keys and his wallet, and his car wouldn’t start, he exclaimed in despair, "If it’s not one thing it’s another."/ Compare: ONE DAMN THING AFTER ANOTHER (ODTAA).
[if need be]{adv. phr.} If the need arises. •/If need be, I can come early tomorrow and work overtime./
[if only] I wish. •/If only it would stop raining!/ •/If only Mother could be here./ Syn.: WOULD THAT.
[if the hill will not come to Muhammad, Muhammad will go to the hill] If one person will not go to the other, then the other must go to him. — A proverb. •/Grandfather won’t come to visit us, so we must go and visit him. If the hill won’t come to Muhammad, then Muhammad will go to the hill./
[if the shoe fits, wear it] If what is said describes you, you are meant. — A proverb. •/I won’t say who, but some children are always late. If the shoe fits, Wear it./
[if worst comes to worst] If the worst thing happens that be imagined; if the worst possible thing happens; if troubles grow worse. •/If worst comes to worst and Mr. Jones loses the house, he will send his family to his mother’s farm./ •/If worst comes to worst, we shall close the school for a few days./
[if you can’t lick them, join them] If you ca
[I’ll bet you my bottom dollar]{interj.}, {informal} An exaggerated assertion of assurance. •/I’ll bet you my bottom dollar that the Cubs will win this year./
[I’ll say] or [I tell you] {interj.}, {informal} I agree with this completely. — Used for emphasis. •/Did the children all enjoy Aunt Sally’s pecan pie? I’ll say!/ •/I’ll say this is a good movie!/