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hit another part, e.g. in a piano or gun 3 tech one of the
bones in the ear 4 be/go at it hammer and tongs BrE
infml a) with great force b) (of two or more people) to fight
or argue very hard 5 come under the hammer to be offered
for sale at an AUCTION: Her art collection came under the
hammer yesterday. 6 throwing the hammer a sport in
which competitors throw a metal ball fixed to a handle as
far as possible
hammer² v 1 [I;T+obj+adv/prep] to use a hammer on (some-
thing), especially so as to force it into a desired position: I
wish they'd stop hammering. | Hammer the nails in. | Hammer
the nail into the wall. | The back of the car got dented and I'm
trying to hammer it back into shape. 2 [I[AWAY, at];T] to hit
repeatedly: The police hammered at the door. 3 [T] infml to
defeat beyond any doubt, by fighting or in a game: We really
hammered the other team/gave them a real hammer-
ing. 4 [I[AWAY, at]] to keep working at something: I hammered
away at the problem all afternoon.
hammer sthg. ⇔ in phr v [T] to force understanding of
(something) by repeating: The teacher has been trying to
hammer in the facts. | I've been trying to hammer into them
the importance of writing clearly.
hammer out phr v [T] 1 [hammer out sthg.] to talk about in
detail and come to a decision about: We've got to get together
and try to hammer out a solution. 2 [hammer sthg. ⇔ out] to
remove by hammering: Can you hammer out the dent in the
side of my car?
Hammer, Ar·mand /'ɑ:mənd||'ɑ:r-/ (1899-1990) a US busi-
nessman who had several different business operations,
including a large oil company, and was known especially for
doing business with the former SOVIET UNION
,hammer and 'sickle [the] the sign of a hammer crossing a
SICKLE used as a representation of COMMUNISM: For how
much longer will the hammer and sickle (=the flag of the
former USSR) fly over the republics?
'Hammer ,film n a HORROR FILM produced by a British
company called Hammer Film Productions during the 1950s
and 1960s. The films were often based on well-known
stories, such as those about DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN,
and are now regarded as being entertaining but not very
frightening.
,Hammer ,House of 'Horror, the a name for the HORROR
FILMS produced by a film company called Hammer Film
Productions during the 1950s and 1960s
Ham·mers, the /'hæməz||-ərz/ the informal name for WEST
HAM football club
Ham·mer·stein, Oscar /'hæməstaɪn||-mər-/ (1895-1960) a
US songwriter, who worked for many years with the COM-
POSER Richard RODGERS to produce many famous MUSICALS
(=films or plays that use singing and dancing to tell a story),
such as Oklahoma!, The King and I, South Pacific, and The
Sound of Music
ham·mock /'hæmək/ n a
long piece of strong cloth or
net which can be hung up
by the ends to sleep in
ham·my /'hæmi/ adj derog (of
an actor's performance)
done with too much false
emotion
Hamp·den Park /,hæmdən
'pɑ:k||-'pɑ:rk/ a football
ground in Glasgow, where
the Scottish CUP FINAL and
games involving Scotland's
national team are played
ham·per¹ /'hæmpə/ v [T] to cause difficulty in movement
or activity: The search was hampered by appalling weather
conditions.
hamper² n 1 esp BrE a large basket with a lid, often used for
carrying food: a picnic hamper 2 AmE for LAUNDRY BASKET
Hamp·shire /'hæmpʃə/ a COUNTY in southern England on
the ENGLISH CHANNEL
Hamp·stead /'hæmpstɪd, -sted/ an area of North London
with expensive houses, where many well-known writers and
INTELLECTUALS live. In the middle of Hampstead there is a
large area of grassland called Hampstead Heath.
Hamp·ton, Li·o·nel /'hæmptən, 'laɪənəl/ (1913-2002) an
American JAZZ musician, singer, and bandleader who played
the piano, drums, and VIBRAPHONE and was known for his
exciting, lively performances
,Hampton 'Court also ,Hampton Court 'Palace a large
building southwest of London, which belonged to King
HENRY VIII and was used as a royal PALACE until the 18th
century. It is open to the public, and there is a famous MAZE
(=a system of narrow paths, separated by tall HEDGES, which
it is difficult to find your way through).
ham·ster /'hæmstə/ n a small animal with POUCHES (=pock-
ets) in its cheeks for storing food, kept as a pet
ham·string¹ /'hæm,strɪŋ/ v -strung /,-strʌŋ/ [T] to make (a
person or group) ineffective or powerless; CRIPPLE: a govern-
ment hamstrung by lack of funds
hamstring² n a cordlike TENDON at the back of the leg,
joining a muscle to a bone
Han·cock, Her·bie
/'hænkɒk||-kɑ:k,
'hɜ:bɪl||'hɜ:r-/ (1940-) an
American JAZZ PIANIST and
COMPOSER. He has played
with many other musicians
and was a member of the
Miles Davis Quintet in the
1960s. His most well-known
record is Headhunters.
Hancock, John (1737-93) a
US politician who was the
president of the CONTINEN-
TAL CONGRESS before the US
became an independent
country, and was the first
person to write his name on
the DECLARATION OF INDE-
PENDENCE → see also JOHN HANCOCK
Hancock, Tony (1924-68) a British COMEDIAN known espe-
cially for his show on radio and television called Hancock's
Half Hour. Hancock's special type of humour had a lot of
influence on later comedians, and many people still listen to
or watch old Hancock programmes.
hand
middle ring
finger finger
index
finger
little
finger BrE/
pinkie AmE
knuckles
palm
thumb
wrist
nail
cuticle
hand¹ /hænd/ n 1 [C] either of the movable parts at the end
of a person's arm, including the fingers: She had a gun in her
hand. (=she was holding a gun) | I've got a nasty cut on my left
hand. | I held it in the palm of my hand. | The two lovers were
holding hands (with each other). | He led the child by the hand. |
She's very good with her hands. (=good at making things,
mending things etc) | Wait until I get my hands on him!
(=catch him) | (fig.) I can't do it today - I've got my hands full.
(=I'm very busy) | (fig.) He asked for her hand in marriage.
(=asked to marry her) | (fig.) That child needs a firm hand!
(=should be firmly controlled) 2 [C] a pointer or needle on a
clock, machine, or measuring instrument: the second/
minute/hour hand | the big/little hand (=children's phrases
for the hour/minute hand of a clock) 3 [S] handwriting: He
wrote in a neat hand. 4 [C] a) a set of playing cards held by
one person in a game: a good hand | a winning hand b) a
game of cards: a couple of hands of poker 5 [C] a unit equal
to 0.1 metres, used in measuring a horse's height at the
shoulder 6 [C] a sailor on a ship: All hands on deck! (=a call
for all sailors to come up to deal with some trouble) 7 [C]
(usually in comb.) a worker: a factory hand | a farmhand | (AmE) a
hired hand on a farm 8 [C] someone with skill, knowledge,
or experience of the stated kind: BrE I'm a dab hand (=very
skilled) at making pastry. | You don't need to tell her how to do it