[high as a kite]{adj.} 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]{adj.} 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]{n.}, {slang}, {show business} 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]{adj.} 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]{n.} 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]{n.}, {informal} 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] {n. phr.} 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]{n. phr.}, {informal} 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]{adj.} 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)]{adj.}, {slang} 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)]{v.}, {slang} 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]{n. phr.}, {informal} 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]{adj. phr.} 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]{n. phr.} A position of responsibility, honor, and power. •/Jones had reached a high place in the government at Washington./
[high seas]{n. phr.} 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]{n. phr.} 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]{n. phr.}, {informal} 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]{adj.} 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]{adj.} 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]{v. phr.}, {slang} 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]{adj. phr.}, {used predicatively} (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]{n. phr.} 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] {v.} 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]{n. phr.} 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]{v.}, {informal} 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]{adj.} 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]{v. phr.}, {informal} 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] {v. phr.}, {informal} 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]{v. phr.} 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] {adv. phr.}, {literary} 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]{v. phr.} 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]{v. phr.}, {informal} 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] {v.} 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.
[hit on all cylinders]{v. phr.} 1. To run smoothly or at full power without any missing or skipping. — Said of a motor. •/The mechanic tuned the car engine until it was hitting on all cylinders./ 2. {informal} To think or work well; to use all your ability. •/The football team was hitting on all cylinders and scored a big victory./ •/Bob began to write his examination, and found himself hitting on all cylinders./
[hit one’s stride]{v. phr.} 1. To walk or run at your best speed; reach your top speed or game. •/After walking the first mile, Jim was just hitting his stride./ •/The horse began to hit his stride and moved ahead of the other horses in the race./ 2. To do your best work; do the best job you are able to. •/Mary didn’t begin to hit her stride in school until the fifth grade./
[hit-or-miss] also [hit-and-miss] {adj.} Unplanned; uncontrolled; aimless; careless. •/John did a lot of hit-or-miss reading, some of it about taxes./ •/Mary packed her bag in hurried, hit-or-miss fashion./
[hit or miss] also [hit and miss] {adv.} In an unplanned or uncontrolled way; aimlessly; carelessly. •/George didn’t know which house on the street was Jane’s, so he began ringing doorbells hit or miss./
[hit parade]{n.} 1. A list of songs or tunes arranged in order of popularity. •/Tom was overjoyed when his new song was named on the hit parade on the local radio station./ 2. {slang} A list of favorites in order of popularity. •/Jack is no longer number one on Elsie’s hit parade./
[hitter] See: PINCH HIT, PINCH HITTER, PULL HITTER.
[hit the books]{v. phr.}, {informal} To study your school assignments, prepare for classes. •/Jack broke away from his friends, saying, "I’ve got to hit the books."/
[hit the bull’s-eye]{v. phr.}, {informal} To go to the important part of the matter; reach the main question. •/John hit the bull’s-eye when he said the big question was one of simple honesty./
[hit the ceiling] or [hit the roof] {v. phr.}, {slang} To become violently angry; go into a rage. •/When Elaine came home at three in the morning, her father hit the ceiling./ •/Bob hit the roof when Joe teased him./ Syn.: BLOW A FUSE.
[hit the deck]{v. phr.} To get up from bed, to start working. (From sailor’s language as in "All hands on the deck!") •/OK boys, it’s time to hit the deck!/
[hit the dirt]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {military} To take cover under gunfire by falling on the ground. •/We hit the dirt the moment we heard the machine gun fire./
