A-Z Database

A-Z Database

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Hide one’s light under a bushel

This saying is usually expressed in the negative form as in do not hide your light under a bushel and means do not be shy in displaying your full tale...

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Hide the sausage/salami

Slang for sexual intercourse since the late 20th century and has given rise to expressions like sausage wallet meaning vagina.


Hidebound

This word dates from the 1500s when it was first used to describe inferior, emaciated cattle, where the skin would hang tightly to the bones and flesh...

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Hiding

Hiding meaning a thrashing is a colloquialism dating from the early 19th century. It derives from the mid-18th century verb hide meaning to flay the s...

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Hiding to nothing

see On a hiding to nothing


Higgle-haggle

Higgle is simply a variation of haggle meaning to cavil, wrangle or dispute as to terms in reaching an agreement. In higgle-haggle, the repetition is...

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Higgledy-piggledy

This means disorder or confusion and is one of those largely nonsense, rhyming expressions that the language is so fond of, perhaps because children f...

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High

High can mean intoxicated from alcohol and dates in this sense from the 1600s but from the 1930s could also mean intoxicated from drugs and in this se...

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High and dry

To be left stranded, with no help or recovery dates from the 18th century and derives from nautical language when boats and ships are left stranded or...

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High as a kite

Drunk, intoxicated, an Americanism dates from the 1940s. From the obvious allusion to flying a kite up in the sky.


High dudgeon

A feeling of anger and resentment dates from the mid-16th century and dudgeon in this sense is of unknown origin. The OED lists another dudgeon and da...

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High Five

A form of celebration when two people slap the opposing palms of one hand, or sometimes both, together with arms raised. There are many claimants for...

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High horse

A person who mounts his or her high horse is someone who adopts a superior attitude. To tell someone to get down from their high horse is to urge them...

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High jinks

British expression for lively merrymaking and boisterous pranks dates from the 16th century when it was a drinking game with the loser performing sill...

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High jump

To be in for the high jump is to be in big trouble derives from British police slang for capital punishment or hanging from the late 19th century.


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