[hedged in] See: FENCED IN.

[heed] See: TAKE HEED.

[heel] See: AT ONE’S HEELS, COOL ONE’S HEELS, DOWN AT-THE-HEEL or DOWN-AT-HEEL, DRAG ONE’S FEET or DRAG ONE’S HEELS, HEAD OVER HEELS, KICK UP ONE’S HEELS, ON ONE’S HEELS or ON THE HEELS OF, SET BACK ON ONE’S HEELS or KNOCK BACK ON ONE’S HEELS, TAKE TO ONE’S HEELS also SHOW A CLEAN PAIR OF HEELS, TO HEEL, TURN ON ONE’S HEEL, WELL-HEELED.

[heels over head] See: HEAD OVER HEELS.

[he laughs best who laughs last] A person should go ahead with what he is doing and not worry when others laugh at him. When he succeeds he will enjoy laughing at them for being wrong more than they enjoyed laughing at him. — A proverb. •/Everyone laughed at Mary when she was learning to ski. She kept falling down. Now she is the state champion. He laughs best who laughs last./ Compare: CHANGE ONE’S TUNE, LAST LAUGH, LAUGH ON THE OTHER SIDE OF ONE’S MOUTH, SHOE ON THE OTHER FOOT.

[hell] See: COME HELL OR HIGH WATER, GO THROUGH HELL AND HIGH WATER, HELL-ON-WHEELS, LIKE HELL, TO HELL WITH, UNTIL HELL FREEZES OVER, WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER.

[hell and high water]{n. phr.} Troubles or difficulties of any kind. •/After John’s father died he went through hell and high water, but he managed to keep the family together./ Compare: COME HELL OR HIGH WATER.

[hell-on-wheels]{n.}, {slang} A short-tempered, nagging, or crabby person especially one who makes another unhappy by constantly criticizing him even when he has done nothing wrong. •/Finnegan complains that his wife is hell on wheels; he is considering getting a divorce./

[help] See: CAN HELP, CAN’T HELP BUT or CANNOT BUT, SO HELP ME.

[help oneself]{v. phr.} To take what you want; take rather than ask or wail to be given. •/Help yourself to another piece of pie./ •/John helped himself to some candy without asking./

[help out]{v.} 1. To be helpful or useful; help sometimes or somewhat. •/Mr. Smith helps out with the milking on the farm./ •/Tom helps out in the store after school./ 2. To help (someone) especially in a time of need; aid; assist. •/Jane is helping out Mother by minding the baby./ •/When John couldn’t add the numbers, the teacher helped him out./

[helter-skelter]{adv.} 1. At a fast speed, but in confusion. •/The hatted ball broke Mr. Jones’s window, and the boys ran away helter-skelter./ •/When the bell rang, the pupils ran helter-skelter out of the door./ 2. In a confusing group; in disorder. •/The movers piled the furniture helter-skelter in the living room of the new house./ •/Mary fell down and her books, papers, and lunch landed helter-skelter over the sidewalk./ Compare: EVERY WHICH WAY.

[he-man]{n.}, {informal} A man who is very strong, brave, and healthy. •/Larry was a real he-man when he returned from service with the Marines./

[hem and haw]{v. phr.} 1. To pause or hesitate while speaking, often with little throat noises. •/The man was a poor lecturer because he hemmed and hawed too much./ 2. To avoid giving a clear answer; be evasive in speech. •/The principal asked Bob why he was late to school, and Bob only hemmed and hawed./ Compare: BEAT AROUND THE BUSH.

[hem in] or [hem around] or [hem about] {v.} 1. To put something around, or to be placed around; surround. •/Mountains hemmed the town in on all sides./ •/As soon as Tom and Bob started to fight, they were hemmed around by other boys./ 2. See: FENCE IN.

[hen] See: MAD AS A HORNET or MAD AS HOPS or MAD AS A WET HEN.

[hen party]{n. phr.}, {informal} A party to which only women or girls are invited. •/The sorority gave a hen party for its members./ Contrast: STAG PARTY. See: GO STAG.

[Henry] See: JOHN HANCOCK or JOHN HENRY.

[her] See: GIVE IT THE GUN or GIVE HER THE GUN.

[herd] See: RIDE HERD ON.

[here] See: ALL THERE or ALL HERE, NEITHER HERE NOR THERE, SAME HERE.

[here and now(1)]{adv. phr.} At this very time and place; right now; immediately. •/I want my dime back, and I want it here and now./ Compare: THEN AND THERE.

[here and now(2)]{n.} The present time and place; today. •/He enjoys the pleasures of the here and now and never worries about the future./ •/"I want my steak here and now!"/

[here and there]{adv. phr.} 1. In one place and then in another. •/I looked here and there for my pen, but I didn’t look everywhere./ •/Here and there in the yard little yellow flowers had sprung up./ 2. In various directions. •/We went here and there looking for berries./ Compare: HITHER AND THITHER.

[here goes]{interj.}, {informal} I am ready to begin; I am now ready and willing to take the chance; I am hoping for the best. — Said especially before beginning something that takes skill, luck, or courage. •/"Here goes!" said Charley, as he jumped off the high diving board./ •/"Here goes!" said Mary as she started the test./

[here goes nothing]{interj.}, {informal} I am ready to begin, but this will be a waste of time; this will not be anything great; this will probably fail. — Used especially before beginning something that takes skill, luck or courage. •/"Here goes nothing," said Bill at the beginning of the race./

[hide] See: HAVE ONE’S HIDE, TAN ONE’S HIDE.

[hide one’s face] or [hide one’s head] {v. phr.} 1. To lower your head or turn your face away because of shame or embarrassment. •/The teacher found out that Tom had cheated, and Tom hid his head./ •/When Bob said how pretty Mary was, she blushed and hid her face./ 2. To feel embarrassed or ashamed. •/We will beat the other team so badly that they will hide their heads in shame./

[hide one’s head in the sand] or [bury one’s head in the sand] or [have one’s head in the sand] To keep from seeing, knowing, or understanding something dangerous or unpleasant; to refuse to see or face something. •/If there is a war, you cannot just bury your head in the sand./

[hide one’s light under a bushel]{v. phr.} To be very shy and modest and not show your abilities or talents; be too modest in letting others see what you can do. •/When Joan is with her close friends she has a wonderful sense of humor, but usually she hides her light under a bushel./ •/Mr. Smith is an expert in many fields, but most people think he is not very smart because he hides his light under a bushel./ •/All year long Tommy hid his light under a bushel and the teacher was surprised to see how much he knew when she read his exam paper./

[hide or hair] or [hide nor hair] {n. phr.}, {informal} A sign or trace of someone that is gone or lost; any sign at all of something missing. Usually used in negative or interrogative sentence. •/Tommy left the house this morning and I haven’t seen hide or hair of him since./ •/A button fell off my coat and I could find neither hide nor hair of it./

[hide out]{v. phr.} To go into hiding, as in the case of a criminal on the run. •/He tried to hide out but the police tracked him down./

[hideout]{n.} A place where one hides. •/The wanted criminal used several hideouts but he was captured in the end./

[high] See: COME HELL OR HIGH WATER, FLYING HIGH, GO THROUGH HELL AND HIGH WATER, HELL AND HIGH WATER, HIT THE HIGH SPOTS, LIVE HIGH OFF THE HOG or EAT HIGH ON THE HOG, OFF ONE’S HIGH HORSE, ON TOP OF THE WORLD or SITTING ON TOP OF THE WORLD also ({southern}) SITTING ON HIGH COTTON, RIDING HIGH.