Неизвестен Автор - Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[here goes nothing] , 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] 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] 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] , 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] 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] 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 () SITTING ON HIGH COTTON, RIDING HIGH.

[high and dry] or 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] Everywhere. * /The police were searching for the criminal high and low, but they couldn't find him./

[high-and-mighty] , 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] 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] 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] , , 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] 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] 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] , 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] 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] , 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] 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)] , 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)] , 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] , 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] 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] A position of responsibility, honor, and power. * /Jones had reached a high place in the government at Washington./

[high seas] 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] 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] , 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] 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] 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] , 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] , (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] 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] 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] 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] , 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] 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./

[hit below the belt] See: BELOW THE BELT.

[hit between the eyes] , To make a strong impression on; surprise greatly. * /Helen hit Joe right between the eyes the moment he saw her./ * /It was a wonderfully lifelike picture, and it hit Sol right between the eyes./ * /To learn that his parents had endured poverty for his sake hit John between the eyes./

[hit bottom] or [touch bottom] , 1. To be at the very lowest. * /In August there was a big supply of corn and the price hit bottom./ * /When Johnny failed the exam his spirits hit bottom./ 2. To live through the worst; not to be able to go any lower. * /After all their troubles, they thought they had hit bottom and then something else happened./ * /When they lost all their money they thought they had touched bottom and things would have to get better./

[hitch one's wagon to a star] To aim high; follow a great ambition or purpose, * /In trying to be a famous pianist, Mary had hitched her wagon to a star./ * /John hitched his wagon to a star and decided to try to become President./

[hither and thither] or [hither and yon] , In one direction and then in another. * /Bob wandered hither and thither looking for a playmate./ Compare: HERE AND THERE.

[hither and yon] See: HITHER AND THITHER.

[hit home] To go directly to the mark; strike a vulnerable spot. * /His remark hit home when he referred to those who do not contribute sufficiently to the college fund drive./

[hit it off] , To enjoy one another's company; be happy and comfortable in each other's presence. * /Tom and Fred hit it off well with each other./ * /Mary and Jane hit it off from the first./ Syn.: GET ALONG.

[hit on] or [hit upon] To happen to meet, find, or reach; to choose or think by chance, * /John hit on a business that was just starting to grow rapidly./ * /There seemed to be several explanations of the crime, but the detectives hit on the right one the first time./ Compare: HAPPEN ON.