Commonly used english part 35 potx

341

hire out (someone)

- accept/give a job/employment
He decided to hire himself out as a dancer while he was going to school.

hire out (something)

- rent something to someone
We hired out our boat last summer because we were too busy to use it.


hit Idioms
hit a plateau

- reach a certain level of activity/sales and then stop
The performance of the basketball team hit a plateau and then declined.

hit a snag

- run into a problem
The negotiations to end the teachers' strike hit a snag last night.

hit-and-miss

- unplanned/uncontrolled/aimless/careless
We are looking for a new apartment but it is hit-and-miss whether we can find a good
one or not.

hit-and-run

- an accident where the driver of the car drives away without stopping
My sister was involved in a hit-and-run accident last Sunday afternoon.




342

hit-and-run

- striking suddenly and leaving quickly
The army made a hit-and-run attack on the enemy soldiers.

hit bottom

- be at the very lowest, not be able to go any lower
The economy hit bottom last year but is finally starting to improve.

hit close to home

- affect one personally
The strike by the trash collectors hit close to home when we had no place to put our
garbage.

hit home

- make sense, make an impression on someone
The amount of damage from the storm hit home when we saw the houses on the

beach.
hit it off (with someone)

- get along well with someone
We really hit it off at the party.

hit on/upon (something)

- think of something by chance
We hit upon the idea of going to the lake for our holiday after our airline reservations
were cancelled.







343

hit parade

- a list of songs arranged in order of popularity
We listened to all the songs on the hit parade last night.

hit pay dirt

- discover something of value
The men hit pay dirt when they discovered oil in the farmer's field.

hit (someone) below the belt

- do something unfair or unsporting to someone
The lawyer was hitting below the belt when he asked the woman very personal
questions.

hit (someone) hard

- affect someone strongly
The death of the woman's father hit her very hard.

hit (someone) like a ton of bricks

- surprise or shock someone
When the small school went out of business it hit everyone like a ton of bricks.

hit (someone) right between the eyes

- make a strong impression on someone, surprise someone
Her incredible performance really hit me between the eyes.

hit (someone) up for (something)

- ask someone for something
My friend tried to hit me up for some money but I said no.


344

hit the books

- study or prepare for class
He stayed home all weekend and hit the books.

hit the bottle

- drink too much alcohol
She started to hit the bottle soon after her divorce.

hit the bricks

- start walking, go out into the streets (on strike)
The post office workers hit the bricks and went on strike.

hit the bull`s-eye

- go to the most important part of a matter, reach the main question
She hit the bull`s-eye when she suggested that decreasing costs was more important
than increasing sales.

hit the ceiling

- get angry
His wife is going to hit the ceiling when she sees the bill for the car repair.

hit the deck

- get up from bed, start working
"Let`s hit the deck and get this work done before supper."

hit the dirt

- fall on the ground and take cover under gunfire
We were told to hit the dirt during the bank robbery.


345

hit the hay

- go to bed
I decided to hit the hay early last night because I was very tired.

hit the high spots

- consider or mention only the more important parts of something
He only had time to hit the high spots in his report but still it was very interesting.

hit the jackpot

- be very lucky or successful
She hit the jackpot when she bought a lottery ticket last week.

hit the nail on the head

- make a correct guess or analysis
He hit the nail on the head when he wrote the report about the bank`s problems.

hit the road

- leave - usually in a car
We should hit the road early tomorrow morning if we want to reach the seashore
before evening.

hit the roof

- become very angry, go into a rage
He hit the roof when he found out that his son had wrecked the family car.

hit the sack

- go to bed
I`m a little bit tired so I think that I will hit the sack now.


346

hit the sauce

- drink alcohol heavily and regularly
He has been hitting the sauce recently although he says that he doesn`t drink.

hit the skids

- decline, decrease in value
The prices of houses hit the skids recently in our city.

hit the spot

- refresh or satisfy

Drinking the lemonade after the baseball game really hit the spot.

.



hitch one`s wagon to a star

- aim high, follow a great ambition or purpose
He wants to hitch his wagon to a star and pursue his dreams of becoming an actor.

hither and thither

- in one direction and then in another, here and there
He looked hither and thither when he discovered that he had lost his wallet.

hive of activity

- a place where things are very busy
The school was a hive of activity during the school festival.




347

Hobson's choice

- the choice between taking what is offered or getting nothing at all (Hobson owned a
stable in the 17th century in England and always offered his customers the horse

nearest the door)
The customer's were given a Hobson's choice. They could buy a car of any colour but
only if it was black


hold Idioms
hold a candle to (someone or something)

- be in the same class or level as someone or something (usually used with a negative)
The new restaurant can`t hold a candle to the one that I usually go to.

hold a grudge against (someone)

- not forgive someone for something
He has been holding a grudge against the company manager for many years.

hold a meeting

- meet, have a meeting
The apartment owners decided to hold a meeting last week.

hold all the trump cards/aces

- have the best chance of winning, have full control
It will be difficult to do well in the negotiations with him as he holds all the trump
cards.

hold back

- stay back or away, show unwillingness to do something

He always holds back during meetings and never says anything.


348

hold back (someone)

- prevent someone from doing something
The police officers tried to hold back the angry woman.

hold court

- act like a king or queen among his or her subjects
He always acts like he is holding court when I see him in his office.

hold down a job

- keep a job
He has a serious drinking problem and is unable to hold down a job.

hold down (someone or something)

- keep control of someone or something
The government was able to hold down the rate of inflation for many years.

hold forth

- offer, propose
The company held forth a proposal to give all of the employees a bonus in the
summer.

hold forth (on/about something)

- speak in public, talk about something
He was holding forth about taxes last night when I saw him in his office.








349

hold good

- continue, endure, last
The demand for air conditioners held good during July but decreased rapidly in
August.

hold off

- delay, not begin
The concert will be held off until next week.

hold off

- keep away by force
The man was able to hold off the police for several hours before he was arrested.

Hold on!

- wait a minute, stop, wait and not hang up the phone
"Please hold on for a minute while I go back and lock the window."

hold on to (someone or something)

- continue to hold or keep something, hold tightly
You should hold on to your bag when you are in the bus or someone may steal it.

hold one`s breath

- stop breathing for a moment when you are excited or nervous
I had to stop and hold my breath while I was waiting for the announcement of the
winning name.







350

hold one's end of the bargain up

- do one's part as you have agreed
The students were not holding their end of the bargain up when they didn't do their
homework.

hold one`s fire

- keep back arguments or facts, keep from telling something
I tried to hold my fire during the meeting and save the rest of the information until
next week.

hold one's head up

- keep one's dignity and pride
The basketball players were able to hold their heads up even though they lost the
game.
hold one`s horses

- stop and wait patiently
"Hold your horses for a minute while I return to get my wallet."

hold one`s own (in an argument)

- defend one`s position
Although her boss is very aggressive she is able to hold her own in any dispute with
him.

hold one`s peace

- be silent and not speak against someone or something
"Please try and hold your peace during the meeting as it will be to our disadvantage if
we have a confrontation."