VOCABULARY - IDIOMS

Hail Mary (n. or adj.)

Meaning: A desperate, last-ditch attempt

Hair of the Dog (That Bit You)

Meaning: A small amount of the alcoholic beverage that caused your hangover

Hands are Tied

Meaning: You are prevented from doing something. It is not within your power

Hands Down

Meaning: Undoubtedly

Hang It Up

Meaning: To retire, to end an activity one has pursued for a long time

Hang Tough

Meaning: Maintain one’s resolve

Hanging by a Thread

Meaning: In great danger of elimination or failure

Happy-Go-Lucky

Meaning: If you are a happy-go-lucky person, you are cheerful and carefree all the time.

Hard Nut to Crack

Meaning: A difficult problem or a difficult person

Has the Cat Got Your Tongue?

Meaning: Why are you not saying anything?

Hat Trick

Meaning: Scoring three goals in hockey or soccer (football), or accomplishing three of anything.

Hatchet Job

Meaning: A strong attack on someone’s reputation; intentionally destructive criticism; calumny

Haul Over the Coals

Meaning: To scold someone severely

Have (one’s) head in the clouds

Meaning: Not know what is happening around you or out of touch with reality

Have A Ball

Meaning: To have a very enjoyable time

Have a Bone to Pick (with Someone)

Meaning: To want to discuss something someone has done that has angered or annoyed you.

Have a Bone to Pick (with Someone)

Meaning: To want to discuss something someone has done that has angered or annoyed you.

Have a Chip on One’s Shoulder

Meaning: To harbor resentment; to have an angry attitude

Have a Dog in the Hunt (Fight, Race)

Meaning: To support a certain person in a competition

Have a Lead Foot

Meaning: A tendency to drive very fast

Have a Lot on One’s Plate

Meaning: Be busy, be in the middle of many ongoing tasks

Have a Lot Riding On (Something)

Meaning: Be depending on the successful outcome or development of something

Have a Nose for (Something)

Meaning: To have natural ability at something, a talent for finding something

Have a Screw Loose

Meaning: Be slightly unbalanced or crazy

Have a Tough Row to Hoe

Meaning: Be faced with a task that is difficult because of unfavorable conditions

Have A Whale of A Time

Meaning: To enjoy yourself very much

Have an Ace Up One’s Sleeve

Meaning: To have a hidden advantage

Have Bigger Fish to Fry

Meaning: Have more important things to do; If you say you have bigger fish to fry, you mean you have more important things to do.

Have Egg on Your Face

Meaning: They are made to look foolish or embarrassed

Have Foot-in-Mouth Disease

Meaning: To embarrass oneself through a silly mistake

Have Hand of Aces/Hold All the Aces

Meaning: To be in a very strong position in a competition

Have It Out with Someone

Meaning: To have an argument with someone in order to settle a dispute

Have One Foot in The Grave

Meaning: To be near death (usually because of old age or illness)

Have One Over the Eight

Meaning: A person is slightly drunk.

Have One Too Many

Meaning: Drink too much alcohol

Have One’s Cake and Eat It, Too

Meaning: To want two incompatible things (usually used in the negative)

Have Skin in the Game

Meaning: Be risking something in an undertaking

Have Something in the Bag

Meaning: Be certain to win

Have the Hots for

Meaning: To be (sexually) attracted to somebody

Have the Hots for Somebody

Meaning: Finding somebody extremely attractive

Have The Time of Your Life

Meaning: If you have the time of our life, you enjoy yourself very much.

Have the Time of Your Life

Meaning: To have a very fun, exciting, or enjoyable time

Have Your Nose in the Air

Meaning: Have a snobbish or disdainful attitude

Have Your Say

Meaning: Express your opinion on something

Have Your Thumb Up Your Ass

Meaning: Have nothing to do

He Who Laughs Last Laughs Best

Meaning: Being victorious is often a matter of simply surviving a conflict

He Would Put Legs Under A Chicken

Meaning: He will talk your head off; he is very talkative

Head (Go) South

Meaning: Decline, get worse

Head and Shoulders Above

Meaning: Far superior to

Head and Shoulders

Meaning: Above Far superior to

Head Start

Meaning: An advantage over everyone else

Heads Up (excl.)

Meaning: Get ready! Be prepared

Heads Up!

Meaning: Be careful!

Heads Will Roll

Meaning: People will be fired

Hear (Something) Through the Grapevine

Meaning: To learn something via gossip

Heart and Soul

Meaning: With all one’s energy or affection

Heavens Open

Meaning: Start to rain heavily

Heavy Hitter

Meaning: A powerful, influential person

Helicopter Parenting

Meaning: Overattentive child-raising

Hell for Leather

Meaning: Very fast, as fast as possible

High as a Kite

Meaning: Strongly under the influence of drugs or intoxcants

High as a Kite

Meaning: Strongly under the influence of drugs or intoxcants

High as a Kite

Meaning: Strongly under the influence of drugs or intoxcants

Hightail It

Meaning: to leave a place as quickly as possible

Highways and Byways

Meaning: You take large and small roads to visit every part of the country.

Hit a Wall

Meaning: To reach a point where you are physically or mentally unable to make further progress

Hit It Out of the Park

Meaning: Succeed brilliantly

Hit the Books

Meaning: To study (generally said of students

Hit the Ground Running

Meaning: To begin a job or project with no learning or training period needed

Hit the Hay

Meaning: To go to bed

Hit the Jackpot

Meaning: Do something that brings great success

Hit the Nail on the Head

Meaning: To be absolutely correct (said of an utterance)

Hit the Road

Meaning: To leave

Hit the Roof

Meaning: Explode in rage; become extremely angry

Hit the Roof

Meaning: To become very angry

Hit the Sack

Meaning: To go to bed or go to sleep.

Hit the Spot

Meaning: Be very satisfying (said of something eaten)

Hive Mind

Meaning: The knowledge of humans as a group

Hobson’s Choice

Meaning: A choice among bad options

Hold One’s Liquor

Meaning: Be able to drink a large amount without being affected

Hold One’s Peace

Meaning: Be silent

Hold the Phone

Meaning: Wait a moment (whether you’re on the phone or not)

Hold the Phone

Meaning: Wait a moment (whether you’re on the phone or not)

Hold Your Horses (generally excl.)

Meaning: Stop; restrain yourself; don’t be so excited

Home Away from Home

Meaning: A habitual hangout; a place one frequents often and where one feels welcome

Home Truths

Meaning: Honest, often painful criticism

Honor System

Meaning: A system of payments that relies on the honesty of those paying

Hot Mess

Meaning: Something or someone in a state of extreme disorder

Hot on the Heels (of)

Meaning: In close pursuit

Hot on the Heels (of)

Meaning: In close pursuit

Hot Potato

Meaning: A controversial subject or difficult project that is best avoided