heavy
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rock | This bag is too heavy for me to lift. | a heavy winter coat 2 of unusually great force, amount, or degree: heavy rain | Reports are coming in of heavy fighting in Beirut. | The judge imposed a heavy fine. | heavy traffic | The army suffered heavy casualties/a heavy defeat. | She's a heavy smoker/drinker. (=she smokes/drinks a lot) | She's a heavy sleeper. (=she sleeps deeply) 3 a) demanding great effort of the mind or great physical effort: The report makes pretty heavy reading. | Moving that piano was heavy work. b) (especially of periods of time) full of hard work: I've had a heavy day. 4 feeling or causing sadness or disappointment: a heavy heart | heavy news 5 a) feeling or showing difficulty or slowness in moving: My head is heavy. | heavy movements | heavy breathing b) difficult to dig or move in: heavy soil 6 (of food) rather solid and difficult for the stomach to DIGEST: a heavy fruitcake 7 a) (of the sky) full of dark clouds; OVERCAST b) (of the sea) rough and stormy, with big waves 8 [F+on] infml a) severe or unsympathetic (in dealing with): Don't be too heavy on her. b) using in large quantities: This car is heavy on oil. 9 old-fash slang troublesome or threatening. When people hear this word they often think of HIPPIES and the popular way of life of the 1960s: It's too heavy here, man. We'd better leave. 10 find something heavy going to find that something is very difficult, especially something that needs great effort of the mind: I tried to read the report but I found it heavy going. 11 make heavy weather of something to make a job or problem seem more difficult than it really is → opposite LIGHT (especially for 1,2,3,4) —ily adv: moving/breathing/drinking heavily | They are heavily dependent on imported oil. | heavily-armed guards —iness n [U]
heavy² adv in a dull unsatisfying way (in the phrases lie heavy on/hang heavy on): Time hung heavy on his hands. (=seemed to pass slowly)
heavy³ n 1 infml a rough and violent person; THUG: a gang of heavies 2 a serious usually male part in a play, especially a bad character
,heavy 'breather n 1 a person who breathes loudly when asleep 2 a man who telephones a woman, usually a woman he does not know, and breathes noisily to frighten her or to suggest sexual pleasure —heavy breathing n [U]
,heavy 'cream n [U] AmE thick cream
,heavy-'duty adj 1 (of clothes, tyres, machines etc) made to be used a lot, or strong enough for rough treatment 2 infml (of people and social occasions) causing worry, pressure, STRAIN etc
,heavy 'goods ,vehicle abbrev. HGV n BrE a large vehicle used for carrying goods from one place to another, for example from the WAREHOUSE to the SUPERMARKET
,heavy-'handed adj 1 unkind, unfair, or severe in the way one treats other people: a heavy-handed style of management 2 not careful in speech and action; TACTLESS: a heavy-handed compliment 3 awkward in movements of the hands; CLUMSY —ly —ness n [U]
heavy-heart-ed /ˌheviˈhɑːtɪd || -ˈhɑːr-/ adj especially lit sad; DEPRESSED
,heavy 'hitter n AmE 1 a BASEBALL player who hits the ball hard and often gains points for his/her team 2 a person who has a lot of power, especially in business or politics, and so can get things done to his/her advantage: The Russians are bringing on their heavy hitters in this latest round of arms talks.
,heavy 'industry n [U] the branch of industry that produces large goods, such as cars or aircraft, or materials (such as coal, steel, or chemicals) which are used in the production of other goods → compare LIGHT INDUSTRY
,heavy 'metal n [U] loud ROCK MUSIC with a strong beat and with the GUITAR sound increased by electric instruments
CULTURAL NOTE The STEREOTYPE of a heavy metal FAN is a man with long hair who wears tight black clothes and a black leather JACKET.
,heavy 'petting n [U] sexual activity up to but not including SEXUAL INTERCOURSE
,heavy-'set adj (of people) rather broad and strong-looking, sometimes rather fat
,heavy 'water n [U] tech water containing HEAVY HYDROGEN
heav-y-weight /'heviweit/ n 1 a person or thing that is a) of more than average weight b) of great importance or influence: one of the heavyweights of the film industry 2 a BOXER of the heaviest class, weighing 175 pounds (79 kilos) or more → see also LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
He-bra-ic /hɪˈbreɪ-ɪk/ adj connected with the Hebrew language, people, or civilization: Hebraic literature
He-brew /'hi:bru:/ n 1 [U] the language traditionally used by the Jewish people, and used in modern Israel 2 [C] a member of the Jewish people, especially in ancient times —Hebrew adj
Heb-ri-des, the /'hebrɪdi:z/ a group of islands off the west coast of Scotland, consisting of the INNER HEBRIDES and OUTER HEBRIDES —Hebridean /ˌhebrˈdiːən/ adj
CULTURAL NOTE British people think of the Hebrides, especially the Outer Hebrides, as a very REMOTE place (=one far away from cities or other places where people live) that is not much affected by things happening in the rest of the UK.
heck /hek/ interj, n slang (used to show annoyance, give force to an expression etc): Oh heck! I've lost my keys again! | a heck of a lot of money | It's rather expensive, but what the heck! (=it doesn't matter)
heck-le /'hekəl/ v [I,T] to interrupt (a speaker or speech) with disapproving or unfriendly remarks, especially at a political meeting —ler n
heck-u-va /'hekəvə/ also helluva adj AmE infml heck of a; very good ADMIRABLE: I think I'd make a heckuva farm wife.
hec-tare /'hektɑːr, -teər || -teər/ n a unit for measuring area. → see TABLE 2
hec-tic /'hektɪk/ adj full of excitement or hurried activity: a hectic day at the office —ally /kli/ adv
hec-tor /'hektər/ v [I,T] to behave in a noisy threatening way towards (someone), especially in order to get them to do what one wants
Hector in ancient Greek stories, the leader of the Trojans in the TROJAN WAR. He was killed by the Greek ACHILLES, who then tied his body to the back of his CHARIOT and drove around the walls of TROY to show the Trojans that he had killed their leader. → see also ILIAD
Hec-u-ba /'hekjubə/ in ancient Greek stories, the wife of PRIAM and the mother of HECTOR and PARIS. She appears in ancient Greek literature as a typical example of an unlucky mother who experiences suffering. → see also ILIAD
he'd /id, hid; strong hi:d/ short for 1 he would: He'd go if he could. 2 he had: By the time I got there, he'd gone.
hedge¹ /hedʒ/ n 1 a row of bushes or small trees planted close together, usually cut level at the top, which divides one garden or field from another 2 [(against)] something that gives protection, especially against possible loss: Buying a house will be a hedge against inflation.
hedge² v 1 [T] to make a hedge round (a field) 2 [I] to refuse to answer directly: You're hedging again – have you got the money or haven't you? 3 [I] tech (of the STOCK MARKET) to buy or sell a COMMODITY to establish a definite price for future use 4 be hedged about with/around with fml to be full of or surrounded by, especially in a way that causes difficulty or limits one's actions: We're trying to build an extension to the house, but the whole procedure seems to be hedged about with problems. 5 hedge one's bets to protect oneself against possible loss, e.g. by supporting more than one side in a competition or argument
hedge sbdy./sthg. ⇔ in phr v [T] to surround or enclose, especially so that escape is impossible
hedge-hog /'hedʒhɒg || -hɔːg/ n a type of small insect-eating animal which is active at night. It has SPINES (=stiff, sharp-pointed parts) which stand out from its back to protect it when it rolls itself into a ball to prevent it being attacked. People have a friendly attitude