[how come]{informal} also {nonstandard} [how’s come] {interrog.} How does it happen that? Why? •/How come you are late?/ •/You’re wearing your best clothes today. How come?/ Compare: WHAT FOR.

[how do you do]{formal} How are you? — Usually as a reply to an introduction; it is in the form of a question but no answer is expected. •/"Mary, I want you to meet my friend Fred. Fred, this is my wife, Mary." "How do you do, Mary?" "How do you do, Fred?"/

[how goes it?]{v. phr.}, {interrog.} How are you and your affairs in general progressing? •/Jim asked Bill, "how goes it with the new wife and the new apartment?"/

[howling success]{n.}, {informal} A great success; something that is much praised; something that causes wide enthusiasm. •/The party was a howling success./ •/The book was a howling success./

[how’s come] See: HOW COME.

[how so]{interrog.} How is that so? Why is it so? How? Why? •/I said the party was a failure and she asked. "How so?"/ •/He said his brother was not a good dancer and I asked him, "How so? "/

[how’s that]{informal} What did you say? Will you please repeat that? •/"I’ve just been up in a balloon for a day and a half." "How’s that?"/ •/"The courthouse is on fire." "How’s that again?"/

[how the land lies] See: LAY OF THE LAND.

[how the wind blows] See: WAY THE WIND BLOWS.

[huddle] See: GO INTO A HUDDLE.

[hue and cry]{n.} 1. An alarm and chase after a supposed wrongdoer; a pursuit usually by shouting men. •/"Stop, thief," cried John as he ran. Others joined him, and soon there was a hue and cry./ 2. An excited mass protest, alarm, or outcry of any kind. •/The explosion was so terrible that people at a distance raised a great hue and cry about an earthquake./

[hug the road]{v. phr.} To stay firmly on the road; ride smoothly without swinging. •/A heavy car with a low center of gravity will hug the road./ •/At high speeds a car will not hug the road well./

[huh-uh] or [hum-um] or [uh-uh] {adv.}, {informal} No. — Used only in speech or to record dialogue. •/Did Mary come? Huh-uh./ •/Is it raining out? Uh-uh./ Contrast: UH-UH.

[humble] See: EAT HUMBLE PIE.

[hump] See: OVER THE HUMP.

[hundred] See: BY THE DOZEN or BY THE HUNDRED or BY THE THOUSAND.

[hunky-dory]{adj.} OK; satisfactory; fine. •/The landlord asked about our new apartment and we told him that so far everything was hunky-dory./

[hunt] See: RUN WITH THE HARE AND HUNT (RIDE) WITH THE HOUNDS.

[hunt and peck]{n. phr.}, {informal} Picking out typewriter keys by sight, usually with one or two fingers; not memorizing the keys. •/Many newspaper reporters do their typing by hunt and peck./ — Often used, with hyphens, as an adjective. •/Mr. Barr taught himself to type, and he uses the hunt-and-peck system./

[hunt down]{v.} 1. To pursue and capture; look hard for an animal or person until found and caught. •/The police hunted down the escaped prisoner./ Compare: TRACK DOWN. 2. To search for (something) until one finds it. •/Professor Jones hunted down the written manuscript in the Library of Congress./ Syn.: TRACK DOWN.

[hunting] See: HAPPY HUNTING GROUND.

[hunt up]{v.} To find or locate by search. •/When John was in Chicago, he hunted up some old friends./ •/The first thing Fred had to do was to hunt up a hotel room./

[hurry on with] or [make haste with] {v. phr.} To make rapid progress in an undertaking. •/Sue promised to hurry on with the report and send it out today./

[hurry up]{v. phr.} To rush (an emphatic form of hurry). •/Hurry up or we’ll miss our plane./

[hurt] See: CRY BEFORE ONE IS HURT or HOLLER BEFORE ONE IS HURT.

[hush-hush]{adj.}, {informal} Kept secret or hidden; kept from public knowledge; hushed up; concealed. •/The company had a new automobile engine that it was developing, but kept it a hush-hush project until they knew it was successful./

[hush up]{v.} 1. To keep news of (something) from getting out; prevent people from knowing about. •/It isn’t always easy to hush up a scandal./ 2. {informal} To be or make quiet; stop talking, crying, or making some other noise. — Often used as a command. •/"Hush up," Mother said, when we began to repeat ugly gossip./

[ice] See: BLOOD RUNS COLD or BLOOD TURNS TO ICE, BREAK THE ICE, CUT ICE, ON ICE, SKATE ON THIN ICE.

[iceberg] See: COOL AS AN ICEBERG.

[idea] See: THE IDEA, WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA or WHAT’S THE IDEA.

[I declare]{interj.}, {dialect} Well; oh my; truly. — Used for emphasis. •/I declare, it has been a very warm day!/ •/Mother said, "I declare, John, you have grown a foot."/

[idiot box]{n.} A television set. •/Phil has been staring at the idiot box all afternoon./

[if] See: WHAT IF.

[if anything]{adv. phr.} More likely; instead; rather. •/The weather forecast is not for cooler weather; if anything, it is expected to be warmer./ •/Joe isn’t a bad boy. If anything he’s a pretty good one./ Compare: MATTER OF FACT.

[if it’s not one thing it’s another] If a certain thing doesn’t go wrong, another most probably will. •/When John lost his keys and his wallet, and his car wouldn’t start, he exclaimed in despair, "If it’s not one thing it’s another."/ Compare: ONE DAMN THING AFTER ANOTHER (ODTAA).

[if need be]{adv. phr.} If the need arises. •/If need be, I can come early tomorrow and work overtime./

[if only] I wish. •/If only it would stop raining!/ •/If only Mother could be here./ Syn.: WOULD THAT.

[if the hill will not come to Muhammad, Muhammad will go to the hill] If one person will not go to the other, then the other must go to him. — A proverb. •/Grandfather won’t come to visit us, so we must go and visit him. If the hill won’t come to Muhammad, then Muhammad will go to the hill./

[if the shoe fits, wear it] If what is said describes you, you are meant. — A proverb. •/I won’t say who, but some children are always late. If the shoe fits, Wear it./

[if worst comes to worst] If the worst thing happens that be imagined; if the worst possible thing happens; if troubles grow worse. •/If worst comes to worst and Mr. Jones loses the house, he will send his family to his mother’s farm./ •/If worst comes to worst, we shall close the school for a few days./

[if you can’t lick them, join them] If you cannot defeat an opponent or get him to change his attitude, plans, or ways of doing things, the best thing to do is to change your ideas, plans, etc. •/"The small car manufacturers are winning over the big car makers," the president of an American car factory said. "If we want to stay in business, we must do as they do. In other words, if you can’t lick them, join them."/

[I’ll bet you my bottom dollar]{interj.}, {informal} An exaggerated assertion of assurance. •/I’ll bet you my bottom dollar that the Cubs will win this year./

[I’ll say] or [I tell you] {interj.}, {informal} I agree with this completely. — Used for emphasis. •/Did the children all enjoy Aunt Sally’s pecan pie? I’ll say!/ •/I’ll say this is a good movie!/