Carpentaria in the northern part of Queensland and the Northern Territory: It’s hard to travel in the remote Gulf Country without hearing about Wollogorang Station. Gulf State—1. an American state bordering the Gulf of Mex- ico: The Gulf States or their representatives in Congress killed the bill by voting against it. 2. a state bordering the Persian Gulf: Qatar becomes the fifth Gulf State to agree to open its territory to foreign troops. gun chamber • gun room gun chamber—1. the part of a gun that receives the loaded charge: According to Massalamani his own gun chamber got jammed, so he could not shoot. 2. an apartment on a warship used by the midshipmen and junior officers: He lost the advan- tage that the suddenness of his irruption into the gun chamber had given him. gun room— = gun chamber 2: John was popular but found the discipline of a fighting ship difficult…. He was often called up to join his senior officers in the gun-room . gun for it • gun it gun for it—(coll.) go after smth. in earnest; try hard to obtain smth.: Learn where you want to be in life and then gun for it with everything you’ve got … and never stop try- ing. gun it—(coll.) cause a vehicle to accelerate rapidly or sud- denly: Trials include accelerating tests where you’ll need to gun it … get as much speed up as possible before braking hard. gutter child • gutter man gutter child —a neglected boy running at large; a child of low birth or breeding: The gutter child and the infant prince are alike open to the workings of the desire for esteem… gutter man —a man who cleans out the gutters of buildings: We await the gutter man . We have had to try to contact him twice already to no avail. H habitable planet • inhabitable planet habitable planet—a planet capable of supporting life: The possibility of another habitable planet is so tantalizing that scientists will devote countless hours to studying every piece of data. inhabitable planet— = habitable planet: Today marks the beginning of hope that another inhabitable planet could exist beyond earth. Note: The expression is antonymous in meaning to the phrase unhabitable planet(also: uninhabitable planet) a planet incapable of supporting life: In unhabitable planets there should be extreme weathers. There should also be natural calamities like earthquakes and hurricanes. hair-raising story • hairy story hair-raising story —1. a thrilling and scary story: I remember her telling the hair-raising story of how she was alone in her little hut somewhere in the jungles of Africa. 2. a story that shocks people: Naylor tells some hair-raising stories of how politicians have often been the chief culprits, stashing away foreign aid funds in numbered accounts. hairy story—(coll.) a story which tells about an arduous or hazardous past experience: Dick used to tell me hairy stories about those early days working in Antarctica. half a man • half-baked man half a man —a man lacking in spirits, strength, or courage: If only half a man —like Buck—shouts “Lynch him!” you’re afraid to back down—afraid you’ll be found out to be what you are—cowards. half-baked man —(coll., derog.) an unwise and inexperienced man: I would rather see the children in the hands of a man whose principles are known to me, than of some half-baked man of learning… half-holiday • half-term holiday half-holiday —a day of which half is free from work or duty: Wall-street took the half holiday that the law allowed her yes- terday. The Exchanges closed at noon. half-term holiday —(UK, also: half-term) a short vacation for schools halfway through a semester: Oliver arranged for them to spend three days out of their half-term holiday at a camp. half-hourly • on the half hour half-hourly—done or occurring every half hour: We’ll be running more trains, with half-hourly departures to Paris and hourly departures to Brussels. on the half hour—occurring exactly thirty minutes after an hour marked on a clock: The clock should chime once on the half hour and twice on the hour. half one (two, etc.) • half past one (two, etc.) half one (two, etc.)—(UK coll.) thirty minutes after one (two, etc.) o’clock: Instead of arriving at half one in Cape Town, I was only there at half four. half past one (two, etc.)—a commonly used variant of the former: At twenty past twelve we arrived at Farmers Bridge Locks, which we completed by half past one . half-seas over • overseas half-seas over—(UK coll.) drunk: I learned later that Charley had run across an old college pal, and was half-seas over in a bar up one street. overseas—across or beyond a sea, especially in another coun- try: The country is up in arms over the denial of voting rights to the men serving overseas . half the time • half time half the time—(hyperbolic) 1. a much shorter time than is normal or expected: I could have done it in half the time . 2. a considerable time: I’m not surprised he didn’t complete the exam—he spent half the time looking out the window. 3. habitually; very frequently: She calls on the neighbors, she’s out half the time and doesn’t answer the telephone. half time—1. an interval between the two halves of a game of football, hockey, etc.: Before half-time he kicked two goals out of the three registered for Middlesex. 2. half the time usu- ally worked: I worked halftime in the atmospheric sciences department with a professor I consider a genius. half the world • half-world half the world—is used to hyperbolically designate a great quantity or number: Half the world buys British when it comes to cars, especially semi-sports jobs like this. half-world—a social group considered to be not wholly respectable: Away from his chosen half-world , Munby’s social life was passed in the first literary and artistic circles of his day. half-way • middle-of-the-road half-way—1. situated midway between two points, stages of a journey, etc.: A half way station was added where visitors can break their journey with a visit to the nearby Bronze Age gun chamber – 158 –