howl
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howl¹ /haʊl/ n a long loud sound, e.g. of pain, anger etc,
especially that made by certain animals, such as wolves
(WOLF) and dogs
howl² v 1 [I(with)] to make a howl: The dogs howled all night. |
(fig.) The wind howled in the trees. | We all howled with
laughter. 2 [T(OUT)] to say or express with a howl 3 [I(with)] to
cry loudly, in pain, sorrow, or anger: howling with pain
howl sbdy./sthg. ⇔ down phr v [T] to make a loud disap-
proving noise so as to prevent (someone) from being heard
howl·er /'haʊlə/ n infml a very silly mistake which makes
people laugh, especially one in which the wrong word is
used in a piece of writing so that the meaning is completely
changed
howl·ing /'haʊlɪŋ/ adj [A] infml very great; extreme: a howling
success
how·so·ev·er /ˌhaʊsəʊ'evə/ adv lit to whatever degree; HOW-
EVER
how·zat /haʊ'zæt/ also how's 'that interj (a call used in
CRICKET to say that someone is OUT)
HP /ˌeɪtʃ 'piː/ abbrev. for 1 HORSEPOWER 2 (BrE) HIRE PUR-
CHASE: We got it on (the) HP.
HP sauce /ˌeɪtʃ piː 'sɔːs/ trademark a type of thick, dark
brown liquid made of vegetables, fruit, and SPICES, which is
sold in a tall, thin bottle, and poured over food, especially
fried (FRY) food like eggs and SAUSAGES. It is popular in the
UK.
HQ /ˌeɪtʃ 'kjuː/ n [C;U] abbrev. for HEADQUARTERS: See you back
at HQ in half an hour.
hr pl. hrs written abbrev. for hour
HRH /ˌeɪtʃ ɑː 'eɪtʃ/ abbrev. for His or Her Royal Highness:
HRH the Prince of Wales
HRT /ˌeɪtʃ ɑː 'tiːl-ɑː-/ abbrev. for HORMONE REPLACEMENT
THERAPY
HSBC /ˌeɪtʃ es biː 'siː/ trademark the Hongkong and Shanghai
Banking Corporation Limited; one of the Big Four banks in
the UK, together with Lloyds TSB, NatWest, and Barclays
Bank. It is part of HSBC Holdings PLC, one of the largest
banking groups in the world. In 1997 the company bought
the Midland Bank in the UK.
HSE, the /ˌeɪtʃ es 'iː/ abbrev. for HEALTH AND SAFETY EXECU-
TIVE
ht written abbrev. for height
HTML /ˌeɪtʃ tiː em 'eɪtʃ/ n [U] abbrev. for Hypertext Markup
Language; a computer language used for producing pages of
writing and pictures that can be put on the INTERNET: a short
course in HTML for web-page designers
H₂O /ˌeɪtʃ tuː 'əʊ/ n [U] tech the chemical sign for water
HUAC, the /'hjuːæk ˌeɪtʃ juː eɪ 'siː/ abbrev. for the House
Un-American Activities Committee; a group in the US HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES which tried to find out whether US
citizens were enemies of the government. It was especially
active during the early 1950s as a result of MCCARTHYISM. At
this time, the Committee judged many cases involving politi-
cians, military officers, and other well-known people who
were believed to be COMMUNISTS. It stopped operating in
1975.
hub /hʌb/ n 1 the central part of a wheel, round which it
turns and into which the AXLE fits 2 [(@)] the centre of
activity or importance: For him, his department is the hub of
the universe. (derog)
Hub·bard, L. Ron /'hʌbərd-ɔːrd, el rɒn'rɑːn/ (1911-86) a US
religious leader who started a new religion called the Church
of SCIENTOLOGY, and who was also a writer
Hub·ble Tel·e·scope, the /ˌhʌbəl 'telɪskəʊp/ a very
powerful TELESCOPE (=a piece of equipment for making
distant objects look larger and closer) which is attached to a
SATELLITE in space, going around the Earth, and can see
much further into space than telescopes on Earth
hub·bub /'hʌbʌb/ n [S;U] a mixture of loud noises; DIN
hub·by /'hʌbi/ n infml a husband
hub·cap /'hʌbkæp/ n a metal covering over the centre of the
wheel of a motor vehicle ➔ see picture at CAR
hu·bris /'hjuːbrs/ n [U] fml great and unreasonable pride,
often bringing great misfortune to the person who shows it
huck·le·ber·ry /'hʌkəlbəri-bɛri/ n a dark blue fruit which
grows in North America
Huckleberry Finn ➔ see Huckleberry FINN
huck·ster /'hʌkstə/ n 1 a person who sells small things in
the street or at the doors of houses 2 AmE, often derog a person
who writes advertisements, especially for radio and tele-
vision
HUD /hʌd/ abbrev. for Housing and Urban Development; a US
government department which is responsible for providing
houses for people to live in, and for the way cities are
developed
hud·dle¹ /'hʌdl/ v [I;T(ŦOGETHER, UP) usually pass.] 1 to (cause to)
crowd together, in a group or in a pile: The boys huddled
together under the rock to keep warm. | They were huddled
together for warmth. | (especially BrE) Your clothes are all hud-
dled up inside that bag getting spoilt. 2 huddled masses
quote a phrase taken from the words written on the Statue of
Liberty in New York Harbour, used to talk about groups of
poor people huddled together ➔ see also STATUE OF LIBERTY
huddle² n 1 a crowd of people or things, close together and
not in any ordered arrangement 2 (in American football) a
group made by a team before they separate to make the next
play 3 go into a huddle to get into a small group, away
from other people, in order to talk privately or secretly
Hud·son, Rock /'hʌdsən/ (1922-85) a US film actor, known
for being very good-looking and sexually attractive, who
made several humorous films with Doris DAY, such as Pillow
Talk (1959), and appeared in many other films and on
television. He was secretly HOMOSEXUAL, and was one of the
first famous people to die of AIDS.
Hudson Bay a large area of sea in northern Canada which
is frozen for most of the year
Hudson River, the a river in New York State in the US,
which meets the Atlantic Ocean in New York City. The
Hudson is named after the EXPLORER, Henry Hudson.
Hudson River School, the a group of US painters
between 1820 and 1880, who painted LANDSCAPES (=paint-
ings of areas of countryside) in a ROMANTIC style
Hudson's Bay Company a British company, established
in 1670, which exchanged goods for furs with the Native
Americans and once owned large areas of land in Canada
hue /hjuː/ n 1 especially lit or tech (the degree of brightness in) a
colour: The diamond shone with every hue under the
sun. 2 fml a type or sort: Political opinions of every hue were
represented at the conference.
hue and cry n [S] a noisy expression of anger, disapproval
etc, especially when showing opposition to something:
There was a great hue and cry against the new rule.
huff¹ /hʌf/ v 1 [I] to breathe with a noisy movement of air,
e.g. when climbing: They went huffing and puffing up the
stairs. 2 [T] (in the game of DRAUGHTS) to take a piece
belonging to (an opponent who has failed to take a piece)
huff² n [S] a state of bad temper when one is offended or
displeased: He went off in a huff when she criticized his work.
huff·y /'hʌfi/ also huff·ish /'hʌfɪʃ/ adj derog 1 in a huff;
SULKY 2 easily offended; TOUCHY —ily adv
hug¹ /hʌg/ v -gg- [T] 1 a) to hold (someone) tightly in the
arms, especially as a sign of love b) (of a bear) to hold (a
person) tightly with the front PAWS (=legs) 2 to hold (some-
thing) in one's arms, close to one's chest: hugging a pile of
books 3 to go along while staying near: The boat hugged the
coast. 4 to hold on to (an idea) with a feeling of pleasure or
safety 5 hug oneself to feel very pleased with oneself
hug² n an act of hugging: He gave his little boy a (great big)
hug at bedtime. ➔ see also BEAR HUG
huge /hjuːdʒ/ adj 1 extremely large: a huge house | a huge
amount of money 2 very great in degree: a huge success
—ly adv: hugely successful —ness n [U]
hug·ger-mug·ger /'hʌgəˌmʌgə || 'hʌgər-/ n [U] especially old
use 1 secrecy 2 disorder —hugger-mugger adj, adv
Hug·gies /'hʌgiz/ trademark a type of babies' DISPOSABLE
(=thrown away after use) nappies (NAPPY) sold in the US and
the UK
Hughes, Howard /hjuːz/ (1905-76) a US businessman, air-
craft designer, pilot, and film PRODUCER, known for being