[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 anintroduction; 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 affairsin general progressing? •/Jim asked Bill, "how goes it with the new wife andthe new apartment?"/

[howling success]{n.}, {informal} A great success; something thatis much praised; something that causes wide enthusiasm. •/The party was ahowling 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 saidthe party was a failure and she asked. "How so?"/ •/He said his brother wasnot 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; apursuit 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 massprotest, alarm, or outcry of any kind. •/The explosion was so terrible thatpeople at a distance raised a great hue and cry about an earthquake./

[hug the road]{v. phr.} To stay firmly on the road; ride smoothlywithout swinging. •/A heavy car with a low center of gravity will hug theroad./ •/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./ •/Isit 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 askedabout our new apartment and we told him that so far everything washunky-dory./

[hunt] See: RUN WITH THE HARE AND HUNT (RIDE) WITH THE HOUNDS.

[hunt and peck]{n. phr.}, {informal} Picking out typewriter keysby sight, usually with one or two fingers; not memorizing the keys. •/Manynewspaper reporters do their typing by hunt and peck./ — Often used, withhyphens, as an adjective. •/Mr. Barr taught himself to type, and he uses thehunt-and-peck system./

[hunt down]{v.} 1. To pursue and capture; look hard for an animal orperson until found and caught. •/The police hunted down the escapedprisoner./ Compare: TRACK DOWN. 2. To search for (something) until one findsit. •/Professor Jones hunted down the written manuscript in the Library ofCongress./ Syn.: TRACK DOWN.

[hunting] See: HAPPY HUNTING GROUND.

[hunt up]{v.} To find or locate by search. •/When John was inChicago, he hunted up some old friends./ •/The first thing Fred had to dowas to hunt up a hotel room./

[hurry on with] or [make haste with] {v. phr.} To make rapidprogress in an undertaking. •/Sue promised to hurry on with the report andsend it out today./

[hurry up]{v. phr.} To rush (an emphatic form of hurry). •/Hurry upor 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 frompublic knowledge; hushed up; concealed. •/The company had a new automobileengine that it was developing, but kept it a hush-hush project until they knewit was successful./

[hush up]{v.} 1. To keep news of (something) from getting out; preventpeople 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 othernoise. — Often used as a command. •/"Hush up," Mother said, when we began torepeat 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 foremphasis. •/I declare, it has been a very warm day!/ •/Mother said, "Ideclare, John, you have grown a foot."/

[idiot box]{n.} A television set. •/Phil has been staring at theidiot box all afternoon./

[if] See: WHAT IF.

[if anything]{adv. phr.} More likely; instead; rather. •/The weatherforecast is not for cooler weather; if anything, it is expected to bewarmer./ •/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 hiscar wouldn’t start, he exclaimed in despair, "If it’s not one thing it’sanother."/ Compare: ONE DAMN THING AFTER ANOTHER (ODTAA).

[if need be]{adv. phr.} If the need arises. •/If need be, I can comeearly tomorrow and work overtime./

[if only] I wish. •/If only it would stop raining!/ •/If only Mothercould be here./ Syn.: WOULD THAT.

[if the hill will not come to Muhammad, Muhammad will go to the hill] Ifone person will not go to the other, then the other must go to him. — Aproverb. •/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 theshoe fits, Wear it./

[if worst comes to worst] If the worst thing happens that be imagined; ifthe worst possible thing happens; if troubles grow worse. •/If worst comes toworst and Mr. Jones loses the house, he will send his family to his mother’sfarm./ •/If worst comes to worst, we shall close the school for a fewdays./

[if you can’t lick them, join them] If you cannot defeat an opponent or gethim to change his attitude, plans, or ways of doing things, the best thing todo is to change your ideas, plans, etc. •/"The small car manufacturers arewinning over the big car makers," the president of an American car factorysaid. "If we want to stay in business, we must do as they do. In other words,if you can’t lick them, join them."/

[I’ll bet you my bottom dollar]{interj.}, {informal} Anexaggerated assertion of assurance. •/I’ll bet you my bottom dollar that theCubs will win this year./

[I’ll say] or [I tell you] {interj.}, {informal} I agree withthis completely. — Used for emphasis. •/Did the children all enjoy AuntSally’s pecan pie? I’ll say!/ •/I’ll say this is a good movie!/