7 PHRASE If you make a habit of doing something, you do it regularly or often. □ You can phone me at work as long as you don't make a habit of it. SYNONYMS habit NOUN 1
mannerism: His mannerisms are more those of a preoccupied math professor.
way: He denounces people who urge him to alter his ways.
quirk: Brown was fascinated by people's quirks and foibles.
foible: …human foibles and weaknesses.
idiosyncrasy: Everyone has a few little idiosyncrasies.
hab|it|able /hæ b I təb ə l/ ADJ If a place is habitable , it is good enough for people to live in. □ Making the house habitable was a major undertaking.
habi|tat /hæ b I tæt/ (habitats ) N‑VAR The habitat of an animal or plant is the natural environment in which it normally lives or grows. □ In its natural habitat, the hibiscus will grow up to 25ft.
habi|ta|tion /hæ b I te I ʃ ə n/ (habitations ) N‑UNCOUNT Habitation is the activity of living somewhere. [FORMAL ] □ 20 per cent of private-rented dwellings are unfit for human habitation.
ha|bitu|al /həb I tʃuəl/
1 ADJ A habitual action, state, or way of behaving is one that someone usually does or has, especially one that is considered to be typical or characteristic of them. □ If bad posture becomes habitual, you risk long-term effects. ● ha|bitu|al|ly ADV [ADV with v, ADV adj] □ His mother had a patient who habitually flew into rages.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] You use habitual to describe someone who usually or often does a particular thing. □ …the home secretary's plans for minimum sentences for habitual criminals.
ha|bitu|at|ed /həb I tʃue I t I d/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If you are habituated to something, you have become used to it. [FORMAL ] □ [+ to ] We are all surrounded by and habituated to entertainment.
ha|bitué /həb I tʃue I / (habitués ) N‑COUNT Someone who is a habitué of a particular place often visits that place. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] …a habitué of the same Soho drinking dens as Freud.
hack /hæ k/ (hacks , hacking , hacked )
1 VERB If you hack something or hack at it, you cut it with strong, rough strokes using a sharp tool such as an axe or knife. □ [V n] An armed gang barged onto the train and began hacking and shooting anyone in sight. □ [be V -ed prep/adv] Some were hacked to death with machetes. □ [V prep] Matthew desperately hacked through the leather.
2 VERB If you hack your way through an area such as a jungle or hack a path through it, you move forward, cutting back the trees or plants that are in your way. □ [V n prep/adv] We undertook the task of hacking our way through the jungle.
3 VERB If you hack at or hack something which is too large, too long, or too expensive, you reduce its size, length, or cost by cutting out or getting rid of large parts of it. □ [V adv/prep] He hacked away at the story, eliminating one character entirely. [Also V n]
4 N‑COUNT If you refer to a professional writer, such as a journalist, as a hack , you disapprove of them because they write for money without worrying very much about the quality of their writing. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …tabloid hacks, always eager to find victims in order to sell newspapers.
5 N‑COUNT If you refer to a politician as a hack , you disapprove of them because they are too loyal to their party and perhaps do not deserve the position they have. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ Far too many party hacks from the old days still hold influential jobs.
6 VERB If someone hacks into a computer system, they break into the system, especially in order to get secret information. □ [V + into ] The saboteurs had demanded money in return for revealing how they hacked into the systems. ● hack|ing N‑UNCOUNT □ …the common and often illegal art of computer hacking.
7 PHRASE If you say that someone can't hack it or couldn't hack it , you mean that they do not or did not have the qualities needed to do a task or cope with a situation. [INFORMAL ] □ You have to be confident and never give the impression that you can't hack it.
8 → see also hacking
hack|er /hæ kə r / (hackers ) N‑COUNT A computer hacker is someone who tries to break into computer systems, especially in order to get secret information.
hack|ing /hæ k I ŋ/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] A hacking cough is a dry, painful cough with a harsh, unpleasant sound.
2 → see also hack
ha ck|ing jack|et (hacking jackets ) N‑COUNT A hacking jacket is a jacket made of a woollen cloth called tweed. Hacking jackets are often worn by people who go horse riding. [mainly BRIT ]
hack|les /hæ k ə lz/ PHRASE If something raises your hackles or makes your hackles rise , it makes you feel angry and hostile.
hack|neyed /hæ knid/ ADJ If you describe something such as a saying or an image as hackneyed , you think it is no longer likely to interest, amuse or affect people because it has been used, seen, or heard many times before. □ Power corrupts and absolute power absolutely corrupts. That's the old hackneyed phrase, but it's true.
hack|saw /hæ ksɔː/ (hacksaws ) N‑COUNT A hacksaw is a small saw used for cutting metal.
had The auxiliary verb is pronounced /həd, STRONG hæd/. For the main verb, and for the meanings 2 to 5 , the pronunciation is /hæ d/. 1 Had is the past tense and past participle of have .
2 AUX Had is sometimes used instead of 'if' to begin a clause which refers to a situation that might have happened but did not. For example, the clause 'had he been elected' means the same as 'if he had been elected'. □ [AUX n -ed] Had he succeeded, he would have acquired a monopoly. □ [AUX n -ed] Had I known what the problem was, we could have addressed it.