pletely decided; fixed beforehand: Assuming that everything was now cut and dried , I talked to Richard but he said he was still unsure about committing himself. high and low • up and down high and low—1. in every conceivable place; everywhere: We searched high and low for the best career coach to serve our clients. 2. said of people of high and low station: In the public forum he was outspoken and called both high and low people to task. 3. the maximum and the minimum tempera- ture, prices, etc. reached in a particular period: These values represent yesterday’s high and low over the last 12 hours. up and down —1. to and fro; back and forth: Unable to bear another night alone, they take to walking up and down Broad- way. 2. in diverse places or directions: “So whereabouts is the local surf break?” interrupted Jerry, looking up and down the coast. 3. is used of a changeable or unstable disposition: Mrs. Moore is up and down ; very liable … to fits of bad jealousy. 4. (coll.) give smb. a quick examining look: He gave me the up and down , and I saw that he remembered me. 5. (coll.) a violent quarrel or fight: I had a bit of an up and down with one of your ilk only about an hour ago. See also: uppers and downers / ups and downs. high ball • highball high ball—(Sport) said of a ball that is thrown quite high: All was well until Maya threw a high ball at me and I ran backwards to get it. highball —(U.S.) 1. liquor mixed with ice and water, usually served in a tall glass: He offered to mix me a highball from a decanter and siphon on a table. 2. a railroad signal indicating that the way is clear: They would flick their lights and the en- gineer would answer with a highball (two short blasts of the whistle). 3. (coll., used as a verb) drive very fast: Cars, vans, and delivery trucks were highballing along this very curvy road… high beam • high beams high beam—said of car lights set for maximum long-range illumination of the road ahead: Eddie drove the old Sedan de Ville cautiously, the headlights on high beam . high beams—horizontal cross timbers of a hayloft, garret, etc.: Larry lifted the sticky brown carpet … stripped paint from the high beams in the living room. high-boy • tallboy high-boy —(U.S.) a tall chest of drawers (often raised on legs), usually in two parts, one standing on the other: During the Queen Anne period in America, the highboy attained its characteristic form. Cf.: lowboy—(U.S.) a low chest of drawers, about three feet high on short legs: This is a reproduction of a lowboy likely built in Rhode Island. The concave blocked cen- ter drawer presents an interesting relief. tallboy—1. = high-boy: He polished the mahogany tallboy , the legs and arms of the dining chairs; plumped up the blue and brown satin cushions. 2. (U.S. sl.) a sixteen ounce can of beer (.48 liter): They don’t sell tallboys at hockey stadiums anymore as too many people were chucking them onto the ice. high-brow • high-browed high-brow—1. (of people) highly intellectual or aesthetically refined: I’m not a very high-brow individual and I usually don’t enjoy abstract art. 2. (of things) sophisticated and requir- ing intellectual effort to be understood: Prior to going off on a high-browed tirade about “assumed incompatibilism,” you may want to learn the definition. high-browed—1. (of a building, doorway, etc.) having a high entrance: I approach the front entryway, and as expected, that high browed door whips right open for me. 2. = high-brow 1.: Classical music fans will think you’re pop, pop fans will see you as a high-browed “artiste.” 3. = high-brow 2.: But enough of the high-browed analysis. In the end, it’s a very good read. high class • upper class high class—1. said of high quality items: The place was a “saloon” … drinking and smoking went on during the per- formance, but the pieces put upon the stage were all of a high class . 2. exclusive; select: It was a high-class school at Brighton, where girls are taught to use lipstick and adore the heroes of Hollywood. upper class—the highest class of society; the aristocracy: Increased access to education helped carry some individuals into the ranks of the upper class . high ground • high land high ground—1. a mountainous region in a country: The river then does really occupy a hollow, enclosed on three sides by high ground . 2. an advantageous position or moral supe- riority: The document is an attempt to win back the political high ground . high land— = high ground 1: It is the high land nearest to the shore which falls most abruptly. high language • high-flown language high language —1. pompous and pretentious language: Many talked in high language about sacrificing their lives and for- tunes for their country. 2. the language regarded as superior when two (related) languages are spoken: The Zulu, as the high language , has ever exercised a controlling influence upon the low languages. high-flown language — = high language 1: They talk in high- flown language , not always conveying very precise ideas. See also: high words / high-sounding words. high man on the totem pole • high-up man high man on the totem pole—(U.S. coll.) smb. who has the most important position in an organization: I don’t want to talk to a secretary. I demand to talk to the high man on the totem pole . high-up man—(coll.) a person of high place or rank: A “high-up” man in the International Skating Union previewed serious changes to be considered at the next meeting. See also: low man / low man on the totem pole; man upstairs / top man. high on something • low on something high on something—(sl.) 1. under the influence of a drug or alcohol: It is far safer to drive a car when high on marihuana than when drunk. 2. keen on smth.; enthusiastic about smth.: “I am not high on the Thieu brand of Government,” he said, noting that 40,000 people had been executed by it. low on something—deficient in smth.; short of smth.: John brewed instant coffee. He was low on sugar. high season • high summer high season—the most popular period at hotels, resorts, etc. (not necessarily in summer) when rates are highest: High sea - son in the Caribbean (when most people visit) is from Decem- ber to April. high summer —period when summer is at or near its peak: December is high summer in Chile and high time for touring the country’s famous vineyards. high school (UK) • high school (U.S.) high school (UK)—a secondary school for pupils aged between eleven and eighteen: We are based at Brae High, in Shetland—the most northerly six-year high school in Britain. high school (U.S.)—a secondary school for pupils aged between fifteen and eighteen: The teen-agers arrive with a high and low – 174 –