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humbug
very rich but also for being very unwilling to spend money. He was a RECLUSE (=someone who lives on their own and does not want to see other people) for the last 26 years of his life.
**Hughes, Lang·ston** /'læŋstən/ (1902-67) an African-American poet and writer, known for using African-American language and patterns of speech in his work
**Hughes, Ted** /ted/ (1930-98) a British poet known especially for his poems about the cruelty of animals and nature. He was married to the US poet Sylvia PLATH. He became POET LAUREATE (=the Queen's official poet) in 1984.
**Hu·go, Victor** /'hju:gou/ (1802-85) a French writer of poems, plays, and novels. Two of his most famous novels, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and LES MISÉRABLES, have been made into films, and Les Misérables has also been made into a famous MUSICAL (=a play with songs and dances).
**Hu·gue·not** /'hju:gənou||-nɔ:t/ n a French Protestant during the 16th and 17th centuries, when Protestants were often treated very badly in France —**Huguenot** adj
**huh** /hʌh/ interj infml (used for asking a question or for expressing surprise or disapproval): It's pretty big, huh?
**Hu Jin·tao** /ˌhu: dʒɪn'taʊ/ (1942-) a Chinese politician who became President of the People's Republic of China in 2003
**hu·la** /'hu:lə/ also ,hula 'hula n a Polynesian dance, involving gentle rocking movements of the hips performed by women
**'Hula Hoop** n AmE trademark a toy in the shape of a circular band which children move by putting it around their waists and moving their HIPS
**hulk** /hʌlk/ n 1 the body of an old ship, no longer used at sea and left in a bad state 2 a heavy awkward person or thing
**hulk·ing** /'hʌlkɪŋ/ adj [A] big, heavy, and awkward: We can't move that hulking great table on our own.
**hull¹** /hʌl/ n the main body of a ship
**hull²** v [T] to take the outer covering off (a vegetable, grain etc): Rice is gathered, cleaned, and hulled before being sold. | hulled peas
**hul·la·ba·loo** /'hʌləbəlu:, ˌhʌləbə'lu:/ n [S] a lot of noise, especially of voices; UPROAR
**hul·lo** /hə'ləʊ/ interj, n pl. -los especially BrE HELLO
**hum¹** /hʌm/ v -mm- 1 [I] (of bees and certain animals) to make a continuous low sound; BUZZ 2 [I;T] (of people) to make a sound like a continuous m especially as a way of singing (a tune) with closed lips: to hum a song 3 [(with)] to be full of life or activity: The office was really humming (with activity). —**hum** n [S]
**hum²** BrE || hem AmE --, v -mm- usually derog hum and haw BrE || hem and haw AmE to express uncertainty, especially annoyingly
**hu·man¹** /'hju:mən/ adj 1 of or concerning people, especially as opposed to animals, plants, or machines: the human voice | The archaeologists have found several human skeletons. | Some ancient societies used to practise human sacrifice. | The broken-down old house was not fit for human habitation. (=not suitable for people to live in) † The accident was caused by human error not by a fault in the machine. 2 concerning or typical of ordinary people: Everyone makes mistakes sometimes - we're only human. | It's only human nature to want a comfortable life. | a newspaper story with plenty of human interest about a little boy and his dog 3 showing the feelings, especially those of KINDNESS which people are supposed to have: He's quite human when you get to know him. -> opposite INHUMAN; compare HUMANE; see also HUMANLY, HUMAN INTEREST
**human²** also ,human 'be·ing n a man, woman, or child, not an animal -> see MAN (USAGE)
**hu·mane** /hju:'meɪn/ adj 1 showing human kindness, thoughtfulness, and sympathy for the suffering and misfortune of others etc: a humane method of killing animals (=one that causes the least possible pain) -> opposite INHUMANE; compare HUMAN 2 [A] fml, now rare (of studies) concerned with the ARTS, such as literature and history --ly adv
**Hu'mane So,ciety, the** a US organization that takes care of unwanted pets, especially ones that were treated cruelly, and tries to find them new homes. It also encourages people to treat animals better.
**Human Ge·nome Pro·ject, the** /ˌhju:mən 'dʒi:noum ˌprɒdʒekt ,pra:-/ an international scientific project that started in 1988. Its aim was to discover the SEQUENCE of the human GENOME (=to find and describe every gene in every chromosome in the human body), which it successfully did in April 2003. Scientists are now working on finding out the purpose of every gene, and trying to find out which genes cause particular diseases.
**human im·mu·no de·fi·cien·cy vi·rus** /ˌhju:mən ˌɪmjʊnəʊ dɪ'fɪʃənsi ˌvaɪərəs/ -> see HIV
**ˌhuman 'interest** adj [A] human interest stories in newspapers or on television programmes are about things that happen in people's personal lives, rather than things that are public or political: They interviewed the champion's mother to give the story a human interest angle.
**hu·man·is·m** /'hju:mənɪzəm/ n [U] (often cap.) 1 a system of beliefs and standards concerned with the needs of people, and not with religious ideas 2 the study in the Renaissance of the ideas of the ancient Greeks and Romans —**ist** n, adj —**istic** /ˌhju:mə'nɪstɪk/ adj
**hu·man·i·tar·i·an** /hju:ˌmænɪ'teəriən/ n, adj (a person) concerned with trying to improve people's lives, e.g. by providing better conditions to live in and by opposing injustice —**ism** n [U]
**hu·man·i·ties** /hju:'mænɪtiz/ n [the P] studies such as ancient and modern literature, history etc; the ARTS
**hu·man·i·ty** /hju:'mænəti/ n [U] 1 the quality of being humane or human 2 human beings generally
**hu·man·ize** also -ise BrE /'hju:mənaxz/ v [T] to cause to be or seem human or humane
**hu·man·kind** /ˌhju:mən'kains/ n [U] human beings generally; MANKIND
**hu·man·ly** /'hju:mənli/ adv according to human powers: It's not humanly possible to finish that work in a week. (=it's completely impossible)
**hu·man·oid** /'hju:mənɔɪd/ adj (especially of a machine) having human shape or qualities: a humanoid robot —**humanoid** n
**ˌhuman 'race** [the] human beings thought of as a group; MANKIND -> see MAN (USAGE)
**ˌhuman re'sources** //ll,... '.../ n [P] (the abilities, skills etc of) people: Closing down this factory is a waste of the industry's human resources.
**ˌhuman 'rights** n [P] the non-political rights of freedom, equality etc, which belong to any person without regard to race, religion, colour sex etc: an international agreement on human rights | a human rights campaigner | human rights violations/abuses
**ˌHuman 'Rights Watch** an independent organization whose aim is to protect the HUMAN RIGHTS of people around the world. It is based in New York, but is not connected to the government of any particular country. It encourages governments to prevent DISCRIMINATION, support political freedom, and protect people from INHUMANE treatment during war.
**ˌhuman 'shield** n [C usually sing.] non-military people, especially of the same nationality as an attacking force, brought into a military area by the defenders to discourage attack (by increasing the risk that the attacker may kill or INJURE his own people). This phrase was used a lot during the Gulf War.
**Hum·ber·side** /'hʌmbəsaɪdl|-bər-/ a former COUNTY in northeast England. It is now divided into Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire, and North-East Lincolnshire.
**hum·ble¹** /'hʌmbəl/ adj 1 of low rank or position (in society, in an organization etc): just a humble clerk | He rose from humble origins to become prime minister. 2 having a low opinion of oneself and a high opinion of others; UNASSUMING -> opposite PROUD 3 eat humble pie to have to admit that one was wrong or that one has failed 4 your humble servant (a very polite and formal way of ending a letter before signing it, used especially formerly) —**bly** adv
**humble²** v [T] fml to cause (someone or oneself) to lose pride or position: to humble one's enemy | a humbling experience
**hum·bug¹** /'hʌmbʌg/ n 1 [U] old-fash an insincere expression