hai r shi rt (hair shirts )
1 N‑COUNT A hair shirt is a shirt made of rough uncomfortable cloth which some religious people used to wear to punish themselves.
2 N‑COUNT If you say that someone is wearing a hair shirt , you mean that they are trying to punish themselves to show they are sorry for something they have done. □ No one is asking you to put on a hair shirt and give up all your luxuries.
hair|spray /heə r spre I / (hairsprays ) N‑VAR Hairspray is a sticky substance that you spray out of a can onto your hair in order to hold it in place.
hair|style /heə r sta I l/ (hairstyles ) N‑COUNT Your hairstyle is the style in which your hair has been cut or arranged. □ I think her new short hairstyle looks simply great.
hair|stylist /heə r sta I l I st/ (hairstylists ) also hair stylist N‑COUNT A hairstylist is someone who cuts and arranges people's hair, especially in order to get them ready for a photograph or film.
hai r-trigger ADJ [ADJ n] If you describe something as hair-trigger , you mean that it is likely to change very violently and suddenly. □ His boozing, arrogance, and hair-trigger temper have often led him into ugly nightclub brawls. □ A hair-trigger situation has been created which could lead to an outbreak of war at any time.
hairy /heə ri/ (hairier , hairiest )
1 ADJ Someone or something that is hairy is covered with hairs. □ He was wearing shorts which showed his long, muscular, hairy legs.
2 ADJ If you describe a situation as hairy , you mean that it is exciting, worrying, and rather frightening. [INFORMAL ] □ His driving was a bit hairy.
hake /he I k/ (hake ) N‑VAR A hake is a type of large edible sea fish. ● N‑UNCOUNT Hake is this fish eaten as food.
halal /həlɑː l/ N‑UNCOUNT [usu N n] Halal meat is meat from animals that have been killed according to Muslim law. □ …a halal butcher's shop
hal|cy|on /hæ lsiən/ ADJ [ADJ n] A halcyon time is a time in the past that was peaceful or happy. [LITERARY ] □ It was all a far cry from those halcyon days in 1990, when he won three tournaments on the European tour.
hale /he I l/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If you describe people, especially people who are old, as hale , you mean that they are healthy. [OLD-FASHIONED ] □ She is remarkable and I'd like to see her remain hale and hearty for years yet.
half ◆◆◆ /hɑː f, [AM ] hæ f/ (halves /hɑː vz, [AM ] hæ vz/)
1 FRACTION Half of an amount or object is one of two equal parts that together make up the whole number, amount, or object. □ They need an extra two and a half thousand pounds to complete the project. □ [+ of ] More than half of all households report incomes above £35,000. □ Cut the tomatoes in half vertically. ● PREDET Half is also a predeterminer. □ We just sat and talked for half an hour or so. □ They had only received half the money promised. ● ADJ [ADJ n] Half is also an adjective. □ …a half measure of fresh lemon juice. □ Steve barely said a handful of words during the first half hour.
2 ADV [ADV adj, ADV before v] You use half to say that something is only partly the case or happens to only a limited extent. □ His eyes were half closed. □ His refrigerator frequently looked half empty. □ She'd half expected him to withdraw from the course.
3 N‑COUNT In games such as football, rugby, and basketball, matches are divided into two equal periods of time which are called halves . □ The only goal was scored early in the second half.
4 N‑COUNT A half is a half-price bus or train ticket for a child. [BRIT ]
5 ADV [ADV adj] You use half to say that someone has parents of different nationalities. For example, if you are half German, one of your parents is German but the other is not. □ She was half Italian and half English.
6 PHRASE You use half past to refer to a time that is thirty minutes after a particular hour. □ 'What time were you planning lunch?'—'Half past twelve, if that's convenient.'.
7 PREP Half means the same as half past . [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ They are supposed to be here at about half four.
8 ADV [ADV adj] You can use half before an adjective describing an extreme quality, as a way of emphasizing and exaggerating something. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ He felt half dead with tiredness. ● PREDET Half can also be used in this way with a noun referring to a long period of time or a large quantity. □ I thought about you half the night. □ He wouldn't know what he was saying half the time.
9 ADV [with neg] [ADV adj/adv, ADV n] Half is sometimes used in negative statements, with a positive meaning, to emphasize a particular fact or quality. For example, if you say ' he isn't half lucky ', you mean that he is very lucky. [BRIT , INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ You don't half sound confident. □ 'Presumably this made some impact then.'—'Oh not half.'
10 ADV [with neg, ADV n, ADV as/so adj] You use not half or not half as to show that you do not think something is as good or impressive as it is meant to be. [EMPHASIS ] □ You're not half the man you think you are.
11 PHRASE When you use an expression such as a problem and a half or a meal and a half , you are emphasizing that your reaction to it is either very favourable or very unfavourable. [EMPHASIS ] □ Teaching Jason to kick the ball, that was a job and a half.
12 PHRASE If you say that someone never does things by halves , you mean that they always do things very thoroughly. □ In Italy they rarely do things by halves. Designers work thoroughly, producing the world's most wearable clothes in the most beautiful fabrics.