NTC''''s Pocket Dictionary of Words and Phrases part 32 ppt

people or things. 5. tv. to be E on
a television show.
6. tv. to be Q or
W at a party.
hostage ["has tIdZ] 1. n. someone
or something held by force, to be
released only when stated
demands are met.
2. the adj. use of
Q.
→
hold
someone
hostage
→ take
someone
hostage
hot ["hat] 1. adj. having a high tem-
perature; not cold or warm. (Adv:
hotly. Comp: hotter; sup: hottest.)
2. adj. [of food] very spicy, caus-
ing a burning feeling in the mouth.
(Adv: hotly. Comp: hotter; sup:
hottest.)
3. adj. very intense;
excited or angry. (Figurative on
Q. Adv: hotly. Comp: hotter; sup:
hottest.)
4. adj. currently popular.
(Informal. Comp: hotter; sup:
hottest.)

→
piping hot
→ sell like hot cakes
→ strike while the iron is hot
hot on
something
enthusiastic
about something; very much inter-
ested in something; knowledge-
able about something. (Informal.)
hot under the collar very angry.
hotel [ho "tEl] n. a building where
people can rent a place to stay
while away from home on busi-
ness or vacation.
hour ["aU #] 1. n. a unit of time
measurement equal to 60 minutes
or ¹⁄₂₄ of a day.
2. n. a period of
time set aside for some activity.
3. n. the distance that can be trav-
eled in Q.
→
at the eleventh hour
→ keep late hours
→ office hours
→ on the hour
hourly ["aU # li] 1. adj. happening
every hour; happening once an
hour.

2. adv. every hour; once an
hour.
house 1. ["haUs] n., irreg. a build-
ing where a person or a family
lives; a home. (Plural: [
"haU z@z]
or [
"haU s@z].) 2. ["haUs] n. a
household; all the people who live
in Q. (No plural.)
3. ["haUs] n.,
irreg. a legislature; a legislative
body.
4. ["haUs] n., irreg. the part
of a theater where the audience
sits.
5. ["haUz] tv. to provide shel-
ter to someone or some creature.
→
bring the house down
→ eat
someone
out of house and
home
→ on the house
→ tree house
house pet ["haUs pEt] n. a dog, cat,
bird, fish, or other animal kept in
a house as a
pet.

housebreak ["haUs brek] tv., irreg.
to train a pet not to defecate or
urinate in the house, or in the case
of a cat, outside its special place.
(Past tense:
housebroke; past par-
ticiple:
housebroken.)
housebroke ["haUs brok] past
tense of
housebreak.
housebroken ["haUs brok @n] past
participle of
housebreak.
household ["haUs hold] 1. n. the
group of people who live in a
house or apartment.
2. adj. found
in Q; associated with Q.
housekeeper ["haUs kip #] 1. n.
someone who is paid to manage
household chores.
2. n. someone
who manages the cleaning in a
hotel, resort, hospital, or large
building.
3. n. a person who is
hostage
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paid to clean someone’s house.
(Euphemistic.)
houseplant ["haUs plAnt] n. a
plant usually grown indoors.
housework ["haUs w#k] n. cook-
ing, cleaning, washing, and other
household tasks. (No plural.)
how [haU] 1. interrog. in what
way?; by what means?
2. interrog.
to what extent?; to what degree?
3. interrog. in what condition?
4. conj. the way in which; the
manner in which.
how many [haU "mEn i] interrog. in
what number(s)?
how much [haU "m^tS] interrog. in
what amount?
however [haU "Ev #] 1. adv. but;
nevertheless; in spite of some-
thing.
2. adv. no matter how. (Fol-
lowed by an adjective or adverb.)
3. conj. in whatever way; by what-
ever means.
howl ["haUl] 1. n. a long wail, as
with the cry of a wolf or the sound
of a high wind.
2. iv. to make Q.

huddle ["h^d l] 1. n. a group of
people crowded together.
2. n. [in
football] a group of players close
together, planning the next play.
3. iv. [for a number of people] to
stand closely together in a small
space, especially to keep warm.
4. iv. [for a creature] to curl up
somewhere; to bring one’s arms
and legs close to the body, as if to
keep warm.
huddle (up) (together) to bunch
up together.
hue ["hju] n. color; a variety, shade,
or intensity of a color.
hue and cry a loud public protest
or opposition.
huff and puff to breath very hard;
to pant as one exerts effort.
hug ["h^g] 1. n. an act of holding
someone or something in one’s
arms in a friendly or loving way.
2. tv. to hold someone as in Q.
3. tv. to stay close to a curb, rail-
ing, wall, or some other object as
one moves along.
huge ["hjudZ] 1. adj. [of size] very
large or enormous. (Adv: hugely.
Comp: huger; sup: hugest.)

2. adj.
of a notable extent; [of extent,
degree, or amount] notably large.
(Adv: hugely. Comp: huger; sup:
hugest.)
hum ["h^m] 1. n. a long, vibrating
sound, like a long “mmmm-
mmm”; a low murmur; a quiet
buzzing sound. (No plural.)
2. iv.
to make a long, vibrating sound,
like a long “mmmmmmmmm”; to
sing with one’s mouth closed.
3. tv. to sing musical notes with
one’s mouth closed, as in W.
human ["hju m@n] 1. n. a person; a
human being. 2. the adj. use of Q.
(Adv: humanly.)
3. adj. showing
feelings that people normally
show. (Adv: humanly.)
→
everything humanly possible
→ the milk of human kindness
human being ["hju m@n "bi IN] n. a
person; a human creature, espe-
cially considering special human
characteristics, such as intelli-
gence, kindness, sympathy, etc.
(The same as a

human.)
human race n. all humans as a
group of people. (No plural.)
human race
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humble ["h^m b@l] 1. adj. aware of
one’s faults; modest. (Adv: humbly.
Comp: humbler; sup: humblest.)
2. adj. simple; lowly; not elegant.
(Adv: humbly. Comp: humbler;
sup: humblest.)
3. tv. to lower the
position of someone; to cause
someone to become Q.
→
eat humble pie
humid ["hju mId] adj. [of weather]
damp; [of air] containing much
moisture. (Adv: humidly.)
humor ["hju m#] 1. n. the quality
of being funny. (No plural.)
2. tv.
to tolerate someone who behaves
oddly; to accept someone who has
strange whims or desires.
→
sense of humor
humorous ["hju m@ r@s] adj.

funny; amusing; having humor.
(Adv: humorously.)
hump ["h^mp] n. a large, rounded
bump or swelling.
→
over the hump
hunch ["h^ntS] n. a guess based on
how one feels.
hunch up to squeeze or pull the
parts of one’s body together.
hundred ["h^n dr@d] 1. n. the
number 100; the number between
99 and 101. (Additional forms as
with two hundred, three hundred,
four hundred, etc.)
2. n. 100 people
or things.
→
one in a hundred
hung ["h^N] 1. a past tense and past
participle of
hang. 2. adj. [of a
jury] unable to reach a decision;
[of a jury] not having a majority.
hunger ["h^N g#] 1. n. a general
lack of food. (No plural.)
2. n. the
feeling of a need for something.
(Figurative on Q. No plural.)
hunger for

something
to have a
strong desire for something.
hungry ["h^N gri] adj. wanting
food; lacking food; having an
empty stomach. (Adv: hungrily.
Comp: hungrier; sup: hungriest.)
→
(as) hungry as a bear
hungry for
someone or something
desiring someone or something.
hunk ["h^Nk] n. a large, solid
amount of something.
hunt ["h^nt] 1. tv. to search for and
kill animals for food or for sport.
2. iv. to search for and kill animals
as in Q.
hunt for
someone or something
to
search for someone or something.
hunt high and low for
someone
or something
and search high
and low for
someone or some-
thing
to look carefully in every

possible place for someone or
something.
hunt
someone or something
down
1. to chase and catch someone or
something.
2. to locate someone
or something.
hunt
someone or something
out to
find someone or something even if
concealed.
hunt
someone or something
up to
seek someone or something.
hunt through
something
to search
through the contents of some-
thing; to search among things.
hunter ["h^n t#] n. someone who
hunts; someone who searches for
and kills animals for food or sport.
humble
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hurl ["h#l] 1. tv. to throw someone
or something with force.
2. tv. to
shout something negative, such as
an insult or bad words.
hurl an insult (at
someone
) to
direct an insult at someone; to say
something insulting directly to
someone.
hurl
someone or something
down
to throw or push someone or
something downward to the
ground.
hurry ["h# i] 1. iv. to move quickly
or briskly.
2. tv. to cause someone
or something to move quickly or
briskly.
3. n. a rush; an effort to be
fast or faster.
hurry away and hurry off to leave
in a hurry.
hurry back (to
someone or some-
thing
) to return to someone or

something immediately or as fast
as possible.
hurry off Go to hurry away.
hurry on Go to hurry up.
hurry
someone or something
in(to
something
) to make someone or
something go into something fast.
hurry
someone or something
up to
make someone or something go or
work faster.
hurry up and hurry on to move
faster.
hurt ["h#t] 1. n. pain of the body or
emotions; an ache. (Plural only for
types and instances.)
2. tv., irreg.
to injure a part of the body; to
harm one’s mental processes or
emotional well-being. (Past tense
and past participle: hurt.)
3. tv.,
irreg. to have a bad effect on some-
one or something; to be bad for
someone or something.
4. tv.,

irreg. to cause pain in something;
to give someone pain.
5. iv., irreg.
to feel pain.
→
cry before one is hurt
husband ["h^z b@nd] n. a married
man; the man that a woman is
married to.
hush ["h^S] 1. n. silence; quiet;
calm. (No plural.)
2. tv. to cause
someone or something to be calm
and quiet.
3. iv. to become calm
and quiet.
hush money money paid as a bribe
to persuade someone to remain
silent and not reveal certain infor-
mation.
hush
someone or something
up to
make someone or something be
quiet.
hush
something
up to keep some-
thing from public knowledge.
hush up to be quiet; to get quiet; to

stop talking.
husky ["h^s ki] 1. adj. [of a voice]
low sounding as if the speaker has
a sore throat. (Adv: huskily. Comp:
huskier; sup: huskiest.)
2. adj. big
and strong; muscular. (Adv:
huskily. Comp: huskier; sup: huski-
est.)
3. n. a kind of dog that pulls
sleds in the far north.
hut ["h^t] n. a small shelter; a hum-
ble dwelling.
hutch ["h^tS] 1. n. a cage for rabbits
or other small animals.
2. n. a
cupboard or cabinet with shelves.
hyena [haI "i n@] n. a wild, doglike
animal of Africa that eats meat
and has a loud cry that sounds like
laughter.
hyena
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hymn ["hIm] n. a religious song of
praise meant to be sung by wor-
shipers.
hype ["haIp] 1. n. an extreme
amount of publicity; exaggerated

praise used for publicity. (No plu-
ral.)
2. tv. to provide Q for some-
one or something.
hyphen ["haI f@n] n. the mark of
punctuation (-). (It is placed
between the parts of some com-
pound words, between the words
in certain phrases, or between syl-
lables where a word has been split
between two lines of print.)
hypnotism ["hIp n@ tIz @m] 1. n.
hypnotizing people as a method of
exploring and influencing the
mind. (No plural.)
2. n. the pro-
cess of hypnotizing someone. (No
plural.)
hypnotize ["hIp n@ taIz] tv. to place
someone in a sleeplike condition.
hymn
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I ["aI] pron. the first-person singular
pronoun—in writing, it refers to
the writer, and in speaking, it
refers to the speaker. (Used as the
subject of a sentence or a clause.
Compare this with

me.)
ice ["aIs] 1. n. frozen water. (No
plural. Number is expressed with
piece(s) or cube(s) of ice.)
2. tv. to
cover a cake with icing or frosting.
(See also
icing.)
→
break the ice
→ on thin ice
→ put
something
on ice
→ skate on thin ice
ice cream ["aIs "krim] 1. n. a fro-
zen dessert or snack food made
from cream or milk and some
kind of fruit or other flavoring.
(No plural.)
2. the adj. use of Q.
(Hyphenated.)
ice cube ["aIs kjub] n. a small cube
of ice, used to make drinks and
liquids cold.
ice over [for water] to freeze and
develop a covering of ice.
ice skate ["aI(s) sket] 1. n. a boot
with a thin blade on the bottom
that allows one to glide on top of

ice.
2. iv. to glide across ice while
wearing a pair of Q. (Hyphen-
ated. Can be shortened to
skate.)
ice
something
down to cool some-
thing with ice.
ice up to become icy.
iceberg ["aIs b#g] n. an enormous
piece of ice floating in the sea.
icicle ["aIs sI k@l] n. a pointed spike
of ice that hangs from something
such as a tree branch.
icing ["aI sIN] n. cake frosting; a
sweet coating for cakes, cookies,
and other desserts. (No plural.)
icy ["aI si] 1. adj. covered with or
made of ice. (Adv: icily. Comp:
icier; sup: iciest.)
2. adj. very cold;
freezing cold. (Adv: icily. Comp:
icier; sup: iciest.)
I’d ["aId] 1. cont. I would. 2. cont. I
had. (Where
had is an auxiliary.)
idea [aI "di @] 1. n. a thought pro-
duced by the mind; an opinion.
2. n. a picture of something pro-

duced by the mind; a mental pic-
ture.
3. n. a suggestion; a plan.
→
flirt with the idea of
doing
something
ideal [aI "dil] adj. perfect; perfectly
suitable. (Adv: ideally.)
the
ideal n. the best example of
something; the perfect type. (No
plural. Treated as singular.)
ideals n. high moral standards;
strong moral beliefs.
identical [aI "dEn tI k@l] adj. equal;
exactly alike. (Adv: identically
[
Ik li].)
identical to
someone or something
exactly the same as someone or
something.
identification [aI dEn t@ f@ "ke
S@n
] 1. n. identifying someone or
something; the condition of being
identified. (Plural only for types
and instances.)
2. n. some kind of

document that identifies someone;
something that proves who some-
one is. (No plural.)
identify [aI "dEn t@ faI] 1. tv. to
state who or what someone or
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something is; to allow the identifi-
cation of someone or something.
2. tv. to reveal someone’s identity.
identify
someone or something
with
someone or something
to
associate people and things, in any
combination.
identity [aI "dEn t@ ti] n. who or
what a certain person or thing is.
(No plural form.)
→ a
case of mistaken identity
idiom ["Id i @m] 1. n. a phrase
whose meaning is different from
the combined literal meanings of

the separate words that make up
the phrase.
2. n. a mode of expres-
sion or design.
idiot ["Id i @t] n. a foolish person; a
stupid person.
idle
something
away to waste one’s
time in idleness; to waste a period
of time, such as an afternoon, eve-
ning, or one’s life.
if ["If] 1. conj. in the event [that
something is the case]; on the con-
dition [that something is the case].
2. conj. whether. (Often intro-
duces an indirect question.)
3. conj. although; even though.
if not otherwise; if that does not
happen; if that is not the case; if
that is not so.
if so if that is the case; if that is so;
if that happens.
if worst comes to worst in the
worst possible situation; if things
really get bad.
ignorant ["Ig n@ r@nt] 1. adj. with-
out knowledge; without informa-
tion; uninformed. (Adv: ignor-
antly.)

2. adj. caused by a lack of
knowledge; resulting from a lack
of knowledge. (Adv: ignorantly.)
→
play ignorant
ignore [Ig "nor] tv. to pay no atten-
tion to someone or something.
I’ll ["aIl] cont. I will.
ill ["Il] 1. adj. sick; not well; not
healthy.
2. adv. badly. (Before a
participle or certain adjectives.
Usually hyphenated.)
3. n. harm.
(No plural.)
→
fall ill
→ speak ill of
someone
ill will ["Il "wIl] n. angry feelings or
bad intentions. (No plural. Treated
as singular.)
ill-disposed to
doing something
not friendly; not favorable; not
well disposed.
illegal [I "li g@l] adj. not legal;
against the law. (Adv: illegally.)
ill-gotten gains money or other
possessions acquired in a dishon-

est or illegal fashion.
illness ["Il n@s] 1. n. a sickness; a
disease.
2. n. a period of being
sick.
ills n. troubles.
illusion [I "lu Z@n] 1. n. a vision of
something that is not really there;
a false image.
2. n. a false belief;
something that seems to be true
but is not true.
I’m ["aIm] cont. I am.
image ["Im IdZ] 1. n. that which is
seen in a mirror or similar surface.
2. n. a sculpture, painting, or
other form of art that represents
someone or something; a picture
or photograph of someone or
something.
3. n. a picture of
something in one’s mind; a mental
identify someone or something with someone or something
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picture. 4. n. the opinion that peo-
ple have about a certain person or
thing; someone’s or something’s
reputation.

imagery ["Im IdZ ri] n. words,
music, or pictures that represent
or create images, often making
one think about situations or feel-
ings. (No plural. Treated as singu-
lar.)
imaginary [I "mAdZ @ nEr i] adj.
existing only in the mind; not real.
(Adv: imaginarily [
I mAdZ @ "nEr @
li
].)
imagination [I mAdZ @ "ne S@n]
1. n. the part of the mind that
produces thoughts and images
that are not real or not experi-
enced; the part of the mind that
imagines things. (No plural.)
2. n.
the ability to think of new and
interesting ideas; the ability to
imagine something. (No plural.)
imagine [I "mAdZ In] 1. tv. to think
of someone or something; to form
an image of someone or some-
thing in one’s mind. (The object
can be a clause with
that U.) 2. tv.
to think something; to believe
something; to suppose something;

to guess something. (The object is
a clause with
that U.)
imitate ["Im @ tet] 1. tv. to attempt
to copy the style, behavior, or suc-
cess of someone whom one
admires or wants to be like.
2. tv.
to copy the behavior, speech, and
movement of someone for amuse-
ment.
imitation [Im @ "te S@n] 1. n. copy-
ing someone’s actions or deeds;
copying something. (No plural.)
2. n. a copy; a duplicate. 3. n. an
act of imitating someone or some-
thing.
4. adj. fake; artificial;
resembling something.
immaculate [I "mAk j@ lIt] adj.
pure; absolutely clean; spotless.
(Adv: immaculately.)
immaterial [Im @ "tIr i @l] adj. not
relevant; having nothing to do
with something. (Adv: immateri-
ally.)
immediate [I "mid i It] 1. adj. hap-
pening now; happening at once.
(Adv: immediately.)
2. adj. closest

to someone or something in space
or time; next to someone or some-
thing. (Adv: immediately.)
immediate occupancy [of an
apartment or house] ready to be
moved into at this moment.
immemorial [Im m@ "mor i @l]
[since a time] so long ago that no
one can remember the details, ori-
gin, date, issues, etc.
→
since time immemorial
immense [I "mEns] adj. very large;
huge; enormous. (Adv:
immensely.)
immerse
oneself
in
something
[I
"m#s
] to become deeply
involved with something; to
become absorbed in something.
immerse
someone or something
in
something
[I "m#s ] to put some-
one or something into a liquid; to

put someone or something under-
water.
immersion [I "m# Z@n] 1. n. plac-
ing something under water or in a
liquid. (Plural only for types and
instances.)
2. n. being completely
involved in something. (Figurative
on Q. No plural.)
immersion
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immigrate ["Im @ gret] iv. to come
into a new country to live.
immodest [I "mad @st] 1. adj. not
modest; revealing; shameless.
(Adv: immodestly.)
2. adj. not
modest about oneself; often brag-
ging. (Adv: immodestly.)
immoral [I "mor @l] adj. without
morals; not moral; breaking moral
rules. (Adv: immorally.)
immortal [I "mor t@l] 1. adj. ever-
lasting; lasting forever; never
dying; living forever. (Adv:
immortally.)
2. adj. continuing to
be remembered forever; never for-

gotten. (Adv: immortally.)
immune (to
something
) [I "mjun

] 1. protected against a certain
disease, either naturally or
through medication.
2. not in
danger of being affected by some-
thing; secure from the danger of
something.
immunize
someone
against
some-
thing
to vaccinate someone against
some disease; to do a medical pro-
cedure that causes a resistance or
immunity to a disease to develop
in a person.
impact
1.
["Im pAkt] n. the crash of
objects striking one another with
force.
2. ["Im pAkt] n. the influ-
ence or effect of someone or
something. (Figurative on Q.)

3. [Im "pAkt] tv. to crash into
something.
→
upon impact
impasse ["Im pAs] n. a place where
movement or progress is blocked
by something; a deadlock. (No
plural form.)
→
reach an impasse
impatient [Im "pe S@nt] adj. not
patient; not able to wait for some-
one or something. (Adv: impa-
tiently.)
implant
something
in(to)
someone
or something
to embed something
into someone or something.
implicate
someone
in
something
to
say that someone is involved in
something.
imply [Im "plaI] tv. to suggest some-
thing; to indicate something with-

out actually saying it. (The object
is a clause with
that U.)
impolite [Im p@ "laIt] adj. rude; not
polite; not courteous. (Adv: impo-
litely.)
import
1.
[Im "port] tv. to bring in
(to one country) a product from a
foreign country.
2. ["Im port] n. a
product that is brought into one
country from another country.
importance [Im "port ns] 1. n. the
condition of being important. (No
plural.)
2. n. the relative position
or rank of someone or something.
(No plural.)
important [Im "port nt] adj. having
a great effect, value, or influence.
(Adv: importantly.)
impose
something
(up)on
some-
one
to force something on some-
one.

impose (up)on
someone
to make a
bothersome request of someone.
impress
someone
with
someone or
something
to awe someone with
someone or something.
impress
something
(up)on
some-
one
to make someone fully aware
of something.
immigrate
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imprint
something
into
something
Go to imprint
something
on(to)
some-

thing.
imprint
something
on(to)
some-
thing
1. to print something onto
something.
2. and imprint
some-
thing
into
something
to record
something firmly in the memory
of someone.
3. and imprint
something
into
something
to
make a permanent record of
something in an animal’s brain.
imprison
someone
in
something
to
lock someone up in something.
improve (up)on

something
to
make something better.
improvise on
something
[for a
musician] to create a new piece of
music on an existing musical
theme.
impulse ["Im p@ls] 1. n. a short
burst of electrical energy.
2. n. the
sudden desire to do something; a
whim. (Figurative on Q.)
→
on impulse
impure [Im "pjUr] 1. adj. not pure;
dirty; mixed with other things.
(Adv: impurely.)
2. adj. not
morally pure. (Adv: impurely.)
in [In] 1. prep. inside something;
within something; surrounded by
something else.
2. prep. into some-
thing; entering into a space; going
through a boundary and to a posi-
tion that is surrounded by some-
thing else.
3. prep. at some point

during a certain time period.
4. prep. after a certain period of
time.
5. prep. with something or
using something, especially a lan-
guage or a way of writing or
expressing something.
6. adv.
inward; indoors; going into some-
thing; in a way that someone or
something will be in a position
that is surrounded by something
else.
7. adv. at home; at one’s
office; available.
in a dead heat finishing a race at
exactly the same time; tied. (Here,
dead means “exact” or “total.”)
in a flash quickly; immediately.
in a huff in an angry or offended
manner.
in a little bit in a small amount of
time.
in a mad rush in a hurry; in a busy
rush.
in a nutshell [of news or informa-
tion] in a (figuratively) very small
container like a
nutshell; stated in
just a few words.

in a pinch if absolutely necessary;
if there is no other alternative.
in a rut Go to (stuck) in a rut.
in a (tight) spot caught in a prob-
lem; in a difficult position.
in a tizzy an excited and confused
condition; a fuss.
in a vicious circle in a situation in
which the solution of one problem
leads to a second problem, and the
solution of the second problem
brings back the first problem, etc.
in a world of
one’s
own aloof;
detached; self-centered.
in addition (to
something
) addi-
tionally; further; moreover; as an
additional thing or person.
in advance [of something given,
paid, or provided] before it is due.
in agreement in harmony; agree-
ing.
in agreement
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TLFeBOOK