[gun] See: BIG CHEESE or BIG GUN, GIVE IT THE GUN or GIVE HER THE GUN,GREAT GODFREY or GREAT GUNS, JUMP THE GUN, SON OF A GUN, STICK TO ONE’S GUNS orSTAND BY ONE’S GUNS, TILL THE LAST GUN IS FIRED or UNTIL THE LAST GUN IS FIRED.

[gun for]{v.}, {informal} 1. To hunt for with a gun; look hard fora chance to harm or defeat. •/The cowboy is gunning for the man who stole hishorse./ •/Bob is gunning for me because I got a higher mark than he did./2. To try very hard to get. •/The man is gunning for first prize in the golftournament./

[gung-ho]{adj.}, {colloquial} Enthusiastic, full of eagerness inan uncritical or unsophisticated manner. •/Suzie is all gung-ho on equalrights for women, but fails to see the consequences./

[gut feeling]{n. phr.} An instinctive reaction. •/I have a gutfeeling that they will never get married in spite of all they say./

[gut reaction]{n. phr.} A mental or physical response that springsfrom one’s depths. •/My gut reaction was to get out of here as fast aspossible./

[gut talk]{n. phr.} Sincere, honest talk. •/We admire people whospeak gut talk and tell exactly what they think and feet./

[guts] See: HATE ONE’S GUTS, HAVE THE GUTS TO DO SOMETHING.

[guy] See: REGULAR GUY, WISE GUY.

H

[hackle] See: RAISE HACKLES or RAISE ONE’S HACKLES.

[had as soon] or [had as lief] See: AS SOON.

[had better] or [had best] {informal} Should; must. •/I hadbetter leave now, or I’ll be late./ •/If you want to stay out of trouble,you had best not make any mistakes. / •/Jim decided he had better do hishomework instead of playing ball./

[had rather] or [had sooner] {v.} To choose to (do one thinginstead of another thing); like better to; would prefer to. — Used with aninfinitive without "to". •/My aunt invited me to the movies, but I said I hadrather go on a picnic with the girls./ •/I had sooner live in the city thanon a farm./

[hall] See: WITHIN CALL or WITHIN HAIL.

[hail-fellow-well-met(1)]{adj. phr.} Talking easily and in a friendlyway to everyone you meet. •/John won the election as class president becausehe was hail-fellow-well-met./

[hail-fellow-well-met(2)]{n. phr.} A good friend and companion; buddy;pal. •/John just moved to town but he and the boys in the neighborhood arealready hail-fellows-well-met./

[hail from]{v.}, {informal} To have your home in; come from; befrom; especially, to have been born and raised in. •/Mrs. Gardner hails fromMississippi./ •/Mr. Brown and Mr. White are old friends because they bothhail from the same town./

[hair] See: CURL ONE’S HAIR, GET GRAY HAIR or GET GRAY, GIVE GRAY HAIR,HANG BY A THREAD or HANG BY A HAIR, HIDE OR HAIR or HIDE NOR HAIR, IN ONE’SHAIR, LET ONE’S HAIR DOWN, OUT OF ONE’S HAIR, SPLIT HAIRS, TEAR ONE’S HAIR.

[haircut place]{n.}, {slang}, {citizen’s band radio jargon}Bridge or overpass with tight clearance. •/Are we going to make it in thathaircut place?/

[hairdo]{n.} Style or manner of arranging, combing, or wearing one’shair. •/"How do you like my new hairdo?" Jane asked, as she left the beautyparlor./

[hair stand on end]{informal} The hair of your head rises stifflyupwards as a sign or result of great fright or horror. •/When he heard thestrange cry, his hair stood on end./ •/The sight of the dead man made hishair stand on end./ Compare: BLOOD RUN COLD, HEART IN ONE’S MOUTH, HEARTSTAND STILL, JUMP OUT OF ONE’S SKIN, SPINE-CHILLING.

[hale and hearty]{adj. phr.} In very good health; well and strong.•/Grandfather will be 80 years old tomorrow, but he is hale and hearty./•/That little boy looks hale and hearty, as if he is never sick./

[half] See: GO HALVES, GO OFF HALF-COCKED also GO OFF AT HALF COCK, INHALF, SIX OF ONE AND HALF-A-DOZEN OF THE OTHER, TIME AND A HALF, TOO-BY HALF.

[half a chance] or [a half chance] {n.} An opportunity; areasonable chance. •/Just give yourself half a chance and you will quicklyget used to your new job./

[half a loaf is better than none] or [half a loaf is better than nobread] Part of what we want or need is better than nothing. — A proverb.•/Albert wanted two dollars for shoveling snow from the sidewalk but the ladywould only give him a dollar. And he said that half a loaf is better thannone./ Compare: BETTER LATE THAN NEVER.

[half a mind] also [half a notion] {n. phr.}, {informal} A wishor plan that you have not yet decided to act on; a thought of possibly doingsomething. — Used after "have" or "with" and before "to" and an infinitive.•/I have half a mind to stop studying and walk over to the brook./•/Jerry went home with half a mind to telephone Betty./

[half-and-half(1)]{adj.} As much one thing as the other. •/We askedthe coach if more boys than girls were interested in debating, and he said itwas about half-and-half./ •/The show last night was neither very good norvery poor — just half-and-half./ Compare: FIFTY-FIFTY.

[half-and-half(2)]{n.} A mixture of milk and cream in equal parts,used with cereal or coffee. •/John uses half-and-half with his cereal, buthis wife, who is dieting, uses milk./

[half an eye]{n. phr.} A slight glance; a quick look. •/Thesubstitute teacher could see with half an eye that she was going to havetrouble with the class./ •/While Mary was cooking she kept half an eye onthe baby to see that he didn’t get into mischief./

[half bad] See: NOT BAD.

[half-baked]{adj.}, {informal} Not thought out or studiedthoroughly; not worth considering or accepting. •/We wish Tom would not takeour time at meetings to offer his half-baked ideas./ •/We cannot afford toput the government in the hands of people with half-baked plans./

[half-hearted]{adj.} Lacking enthusiasm or interest. •/Phil madeseveral half-hearted attempts to learn word processing, but we could see thathe didn’t really like it./

[half-holiday]{n.} A day on which you get out of school or work in theafternoon. •/The principal said that Tuesday would be a half-holiday./

[half the battle]{n. phr.} A large part of the work. •/When you writean essay for class, making the outline is half the battle./ •/To see yourfaults and decide to change is half the battle of self-improvement./

[half-time]{n.} A rest period in the middle of certain games. •/Isaw Henry at the football game and I went over and talked to him athalf-time./ •/The pep squad put on a drill at half-time when we playedbasketball with our old rivals./

[halfway] See: GO HALFWAY or MEET ONE HALF-WAY or GO HALFWAY TO MEET ONE.

[halt] See: CALL A HALT, GRIND TO A HALT.

[ham actor]{n. phr.}, {slang} An untalented actor; someone whotries so hard to act that his performance becomes foolishly exaggerated.•/Fred is a ham actor who, instead of memorizing his lines, keeps movingaround in a ridiculous way./

[ham-handed]{adj.}, {slang} 1. Having very large hands. •/Peteis a big, ham-handed man who used to be a football player./ 2. See:HEAVY-HANDED.

[ham it up]{v. phr.}, {slang} To do more than look natural inacting a part; pretend too much; exaggerate. •/When Tom told the teacher hewas too sick to do homework, he really hammed it up./ •/The old-fashionedmovies are funny to us because the players hammed it up./ Compare: LAY IT ON.