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hit list
really have happened: She told the children a story. History [U] is the real events of the past: We studied history at school. 2 Compare historic and historical. Historical characters and events are those which really existed or happened in the past. Historic places or events are those which are thought to be very important in history. Thus the Battle of Hastings (1066) was a historical event (it really happened) and also a historic event (it had an important influence on English history).
his·tri·on·ic /ˌhɪstriˈɒnɪk ǁ-ˈɑːnɪk/ adj 1 derog behaving or done in a too theatrical way, especially in showing feelings that are insincere or pretended 2 rare concerning the theatre or acting →-ally /kli/ adv
his·tri·on·ics /ˌhɪstriˈɒnɪksǁ-ˈɑːn-/ n [P] derog behaviour which is like a theatrical performance, showing strong but insincere feelings
hit¹ /hɪt/ v hit or hitting [T] 1 to bring the hand, or something held in the hand, forcefully against (a person or thing); strike: He hit me in the stomach. | She hit the tennis ball over the net. → compare KICK¹; see STRIKE (USAGE) 2 a) to come against with force: The ball hit the window. | The car hit the wall. | The bullet hit him in the chest. b) to cause (especially a part of the body) to do this by accident or on purpose: She fell down and hit her head. | I hit my knee on/against the chair. 3 infml to arrive at; reach: We hit the main road two miles further on. | (especially AmE) We'll look for work as soon as we hit town. | I hit a difficult point in my work, and decided it was time for a cup of tea. | The singer hit a high note at the end of the song. | The dollar hit an all-time low (=reached its lowest point ever) on the money markets today. | A cool drink really hits the spot (=is just what is needed) on a summer's day. 4 to have a bad effect on: The increase in food prices hits everyone's pocket. (=means they have less money) | The company has been badly hit/hard hit by the rise in interest rates. 5 to get or make by hitting, in a ball game: The batsman hit three runs. | The batter hit a home run. 6 slang, especially AmE to attack or kill 7 hit it off (with) to have a good relationship (with); become good friends 8 hit someone where it hurts (most) to attack someone through their weaknesses or the things they feel most strongly about 9 hit the bottle infml to (start to) drink too much alcohol 10 hit the deck infml to lie down suddenly: 'It's a bomb!' he shouted, and everyone hit the deck. 11 hit the hay also hit the sack — slang to go to bed 12 hit the headlines to get into the news, especially by being important enough to appear in the HEADLINES on the front page of a newspaper or on radio or television news 13 hit the jackpot infml to have a big success 14 hit the nail on the head to be exactly right in words or action 15 hit the road infml to start on a journey; leave 16 hit the roof also go through the roof, hit the ceiling —infml to become very angry
hit back phr v [I(at)] to reply forcefully to an attack on oneself: The prime minister has hit back angrily at these criticisms.
hit on/upon sthg. phr v [T] to find by lucky chance or have a good idea about: I hope that someone will hit on a solution to our problem.
hit out at sbdy./sthg. phr v [T] 1 also hit out against — express strong, especially public, disapproval of; CONDEMN: The bishop has hit out at what he describes as an 'immoral' defence policy. 2 to (try to) hit: He hit out at me without thinking.
hit sbdy. up for sthg. phr v [T] AmE, slang to ask (someone) for (something): Can I hit you up for some cigarettes?
hit² n 1 a blow, especially with the hand or something held in the hand: an unfair hit, below the belt 2 a shot, movement etc that brings one thing against another with force: I scored a direct hit with my first shot. 3 something, such as a musical or theatrical performance, which is successful: The record was a big hit and sold a million copies. 4 [at] a remark which causes the desired effect, especially if unpleasant: That joke was a nasty hit at me. 5, base hit a hit in the game of BASEBALL which allows the BATTER to get to FIRST BASE 6 slang, especially AmE a murder 7 make a hit (with) to be successful (with): You've really made a hit with her.
hit-and-'miss adj → see HIT-OR-MISS
hit-and-'run adj [A] 1 a) (of a road accident) of a type in which the guilty driver does not stop to help b) (of a military attack) of a type in which the attackers arrive suddenly and unexpectedly, and leave as soon as possible 2 (of a person) who causes a hit-and-run accident: a hit-and-run driver
hitch¹ /hɪtʃ/ v 1 [T+obj+adv/prep] to fasten by hooking a rope or metal part over another object: He hitched the horse's rope over the pole. | Another railway carriage has been hitched on. 2 [i;T] infml to (try to) get (a ride in someone else's car) as a way of travelling; hitchhike: They hitched across Europe. | We hitched a ride/a lift in a truck. → compare THUMB² 3 get hitched infml to get married
hitch sthg. ⇔ up phr v [T] 1 to pull upwards into the proper position: John hitched up his trousers. 2 to fasten to something by hitching: We hitched up the horses (to the cart).
hitch² n 1 a difficulty which delays something for a while: a slight hitch | A technical hitch prevented the book from coming out on time. | The royal visit went off without a hitch. (=was a complete success) 2 a short sudden push or pull (up); TUG: He gave his sock a hitch (up) when he felt it slipping down. 3 a knot used by sailors
Hitch·cock, Sir Al·fred /'hɪtʃkɒkǁ-ɑːk, 'ælfɪəd/ (1899-1980) a British film DIRECTOR who is considered to be one of the greatest and who made films in the UK and then in Hollywood, for almost 50 years. He made THRILLERS (=films that tell exciting stories about crime and murder) such as The Thirty-Nine Steps (1935), Psycho (1960), and The Birds (1963). He is famous for his use of SUSPENSE (=a feeling of fear and excitement that you have when you expect that something bad is going to happen) and for appearing for a very short time in each of his films as an unimportant character. People sometimes use the word 'Hitchcockian' to describe a story or situation in which there is a lot of suspense.
hitch·hike /'hɪtʃhaɪk/ v [i] to travel by getting rides in other people's cars, usually by standing at the side of the road and signalling to drivers →hiker n
CULTURAL NOTE When someone is hitchhiking they stand at the side of the road and put out their thumb, or hold up a sign with the name of the place they want to go to written on it. Hitchhiking is less common in the US and the UK than it used to be, and many people think that it is dangerous because there have been cases of hitchhikers or the drivers who picked them up being attacked or killed.
Hitchhikers' Guide to the 'Galaxy, The a humorous British radio programme written by Douglas Adams, which later became a book and a television programme. It is a SCIENCE FICTION story about an Englishman called Arthur Dent who gets on a SPACESHIP just before the Earth is destroyed, and the adventures he has in space with the other characters on this spaceship.
hi-tech /ˌhaɪ ˈtek◂/ adj, n [U] → see HIGH TECH
hith·er /'hɪðər/ adv 1 old use to this place; here 2 hither and thither in all directions
hith·er·to /ˌhɪðəˈtuː◂ ǁ-ər-/ adv fml until this/that time; up until now
Hit·ler, Ad·olf /'hɪtlər, 'ædɒlfǁ'ɛɪdəːlf/ (1889-1945) the leader of the Nazi Party in Germany from 1921. He was born in Austria and was the 'Führer' (=leader) of Germany from the mid-1930s until his death. Hitler is remembered as a strong, cruel leader who allowed no opposition, as an impressive public speaker, and especially for his attempts to establish a pure race of German people through a policy of ANTI-SEMITISM, as a result of which millions of Jewish people were killed in CONCENTRATION CAMPS. He started World War II by ordering his armies to enter Poland in 1939, and at first Germany was very successful because Hitler had made its armed forces strong and well-organized. He killed himself in 1945, just before Germany lost the war. His name is now sometimes used to describe someone who uses their authority in a cruel or unfair way, or someone who wants to control everything. → see also FASCISM
Hitler 'Youth an organization established by Adolf HITLER in 1933 to train German boys according to the ideas and principles of the NAZI Party
'hit list n infml a list of people or organizations against whom