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Hobnob trademark a type of British BISCUIT made from ROLLED
OATS and produced by MCVITIE'S
ho·bo /'həʊbəʊ/ n pl. hoes or hobos AmE infml a person who
has no regular work or home; TRAMP
Hob·son's choice /ˌhɒbsənz 'tʃɔɪs||ˌhɑːb-/ n [U] a situa-
tion in which there is only one thing that you can choose,
only one course of action that you can take etc
Ho Chi Minh /ˌhəʊ tʃi: 'mɪn/ (1892–1969) the president of
North Vietnam during the first part of the VIETNAM WAR. He
became popular among people in Europe and the US who
opposed US involvement in Vietnam. He was known as
Father Ho.
Ho Chi Minh 'City a city in the southern part of Vietnam. It
was formerly known as SAIGON, and was the capital of South
Vietnam when the country was divided.
hock¹ /hɒk||hɑːk/ n 1 especially AmE a piece of meat from
above the foot of an animal, especially a pig: ham
hocks 2 the middle joint of an animal's back leg → see
picture at HORSE
hock² n [U] especially BrE a German white wine
hock³ n in hock slang a) pawned (PAWN) b) in debt: The
country is completely in hock to the international banks.
hock⁴ v [T] slang for PAWN
hock·ey /'hɒki||'hɑːki/ n [U] 1 especially BrE || field hockey
especially AmE — a game played by two teams of 11 players
each, with sticks and a ball. Hockey is usually played in
winter. 2 especially AmE for ICE HOCKEY → see REFEREE (USAGE)
Hock·ney, David /'hɒkni||'hɑːk-/ (1937–) a British artist who
lives and works in California and is known especially for his
PORTRAITS (=paintings of real people) and for his water
scenes such as swimming pools. One of his most famous
paintings is called A Bigger Splash (1967).
ho·cus-po·cus /ˌhəkəs 'pəʊkəs/ n [U] 1 the use of tricks
to deceive; TRICKERY 2 pointless activity or words, especially
when they draw people's attention away from the real facts
or situation
hod /hɒd||hɑːd/ n a container shaped like a box with a long
handle, used by builders' workmen for carrying bricks
Hod·dle, Glenn /'hɒdl||'hɑː-/ (1958–) a British football
player who played for the English national team, and who
was the manager of the team during the 1998 World Cup. In
1999 he had to leave his job as England manager after
saying that DISABLED people might be paying for SINS they
had COMMITted in a previous life.
hodge-podge /'hɒdʒpɒdʒ||'hɑːdʒpɑːdʒ/ n [S] especially AmE
for HOTCHPOTCH
hoe¹ /həʊ/ n a long-handled garden tool used for breaking up
the soil and removing wild plants (WEEDS)
hoe² v hoed or hoeing [i:T] to use a hoe (on)
Hof·fa, Jimmy /'hɒfə||'hɑːfə, 'hɑː-/ (1913-75?) the president
of the TEAMSTERS, a powerful TRADE UNION in the US, who
was thought to be involved with criminal organizations
such as the MAFIA, and was put in prison in 1967 for financial
crimes. He left prison in 1971, but disappeared in 1975 and
many people believe that he was murdered, though his body
was never found.
Hoff·man, A-bie /'hɒfmən||'hɑːf-, 'eibi/ (1936–89) a US
political ACTIVIST (=someone who works to achieve social or
political change). In the 1960s, he was the leader of the Youth
International Party in the US, an organization that was also
referred to as the Yippie movement.
Hoffman, Dus·tin /'dʌstɪn/ (1937–) a US film and theatre
actor. He won two Oscars, for Kramer Vs Kramer (1979) and
Rain Man (1988). His other films include The Graduate
(1967), and Tootsie (1982).
hog¹ /hɒg||hɑːg, hɔg/ n 1 AmE a pig, especially a fat one for
eating 2 a male pig that cannot produce young and is kept
for meat → compare BOAR, SOW² 3 a person who eats too
much: You greedy hog! 4 go the whole hog infml to do
something thoroughly; go to the limits of what is possible:
Instead of ordering a glass of wine each, we went the whole
hog and ordered a bottle. → see also ROAD HOG
hog² v -gg- [T] infml 1 to keep or use (all of something) for
oneself, especially unfairly: He's been hogging the bathroom
and no one else can get in. 2 hog the road to drive so that
other cars cannot get past
Ho·garth, William /'həʊgɑθ||-gɑrθ/ (1697–1764) a British
painter known especially for his very detailed pictures show-
ing the immoral pleasures of his time, in works such as The
Rake's Progress and Marriage à la Mode
hog·gish /'hɒgɪʃ||'hɑː-, 'hɔː-/ adj (of people or habits) pig-
like, dirty, selfish etc
Hog·ma·nay /ˌhɒgmə'neɪ||ˌhɑːgmə'neɪ/ n [C;U] the Scottish
name for New Year's Eve, and the parties and celebrating
that take place on that night
CULTURAL NOTE In Scotland, Hogmanay is a very
important celebration, and people often celebrate even
more than they do at Christmas. Some Hogmanay
traditions are also followed by people in other parts of the
UK and in parts of the US. These include singing a song
called AULD LANG SYNE at midnight, and, in the UK, going
FIRST-FOOTING, which means going to friends' houses
after midnight to wish them a Happy New Year. It is
thought to be lucky if the first person entering your home
in the new year is a tall dark man carrying a piece of coal
and some food. → see also Cultural Note at NEW YEAR
hogs-head /'hɒgzhed||'hɑːgz-, 'hɔːgz-/ n 1 a barrel, espe-
cially one which holds 52½ GALLONS (=238·5 litres) in Brit-
ain, or 63 GALLONS in the US 2 the amount of liquid which
can be held in a hogshead
hog·wash /'hɒgwɒʃ||'hɑːgwɑːʃ, 'hɔːg-, -wɔːʃ/ n [U] espe-
cially AmE stupid talk; nonsense: That's a load of hogwash!
ho·hum adj infml derog uninteresting, ordinary, or boring: It
was a ho-hum sort of day. | I thought the show was pretty
ho-hum, which was disappointing.
hoi pol·loi /ˌhɔɪ pə'lɔɪ/ n [the P] derog the ordinary people; the
MASSES. This expression is used by someone who considers
such people to be uneducated and of little worth.
hoist¹ /hɔɪst/ v [T(UP)] 1 to raise, lift, or pull up (a flag or
something heavy), especially using ropes: The sailors hoisted
the flag/hoisted the cargo onto the deck. | He hoisted the sack
over his shoulder. 2 hoist with one's own petard pomp or
humor made to suffer by some evil plan by which one had
intended to harm others
hoist² n 1 an upward push 2 an apparatus for lifting heavy
goods
hoi·ty-toi·ty /ˌhɔɪti 'tɔɪti/ adj old-fash derog behaving in a
proud way, as if thinking one is more important than other
people; HAUGHTY
Hok·kai·do /hɒ'kadəʊ||hə-/ the second largest of the
main islands of Japan, in the north of the country
ho·kum /'həʊkəm/ n [U] slang, especially AmE foolish talk,
especially when intended to deceive or cause admiration;
nonsense
Hol·bein, Hans /'hɒlbaɪn||'həʊl-, hæns||hɑːns/ also Hans
Holbein the Younger (1497–1543) a German artist during
the RENAISSANCE, known for his PORTRAITS, especially one of
Henry VIII
Hol·by Gen·er·al /ˌhəʊlbi 'dʒenərəl/ the hospital in the
British television programme CASUALTY
hold¹ /həʊld/ v held /held/, holding TO KEEP OR SUPPORT
SOMETHING 1 [T] to keep or support using the hands or arms
(or another part of the body): He was holding a knife in one
hand and a fork in the other. | She held her daughter's hand as
they crossed the road. | I held the baby in my arms. | Hold it by
the handle at the side. | The dog held a newspaper between its
teeth. 2 [T] to bear the weight of; support: Will this branch
hold me? 3 [T+obj+adv/prep] to put or keep (oneself or a part of
the body) in a particular position: They held their heads up. |
The dog held its tail between its legs. | (fig.) We held ourselves in
readiness for the attack. TO STAY IN OR KEEP SOMETHING IN A
PARTICULAR PLACE, POSITION, OR STATE 4 [T+obj+adv/prep] to
cause to remain in the stated condition or position: The
picture is held in place by a hook. | She held the lid down while
I locked the suitcase. | The roof is held up by pillars. | Hold it
over the fire until it's dry. | The children held out their hands
and I gave them some sweets. → see also HOLD BACK 5 [i] a)
to remain unchanged; last: How long will this good weather
hold? | If our luck holds (=if we continue to be lucky) we'll