hog /hɒ g, [AM ] hɔː g/ (hogs , hogging , hogged )
1 N‑COUNT A hog is a pig. In British English, hog usually refers to a large male pig that has been castrated, but in American English it can refer to any kind of pig.
2 VERB If you hog something, you take all of it in a greedy or impolite way. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n] Have you done hogging the bathroom?
3 → see also roadhog
4 PHRASE If you go the whole hog , you do something bold or extravagant in the most complete way possible. [INFORMAL ] □ Or you can go the whole hog and upgrade for all-inclusive drinks for your entire stay.
Hog|ma|nay /hɒ gməne I / N‑UNCOUNT Hogmanay is New Year's Eve in Scotland and the celebrations that take place there at that time.
hog|wash /hɒ gwɒʃ, [AM ] hɔː g-/ N‑UNCOUNT If you describe what someone says as hogwash , you think it is nonsense. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ Sugar said it was a 'load of hogwash' that he was not interested in football.
ho ho /hoʊ hoʊ / or ho ho ho EXCLAM Ho ho is used in writing to represent the sound that people make when they laugh. □ 'Ha ha, ho ho,' he chortled.
ho hum /hoʊ hʌ m/ also ho-hum
1 PHRASE You can use ho hum when you want to show that you think something is not interesting, remarkable, or surprising in any way. [INFORMAL , FEELINGS ] □ My general reaction to this news might be summed up as 'ho-hum'.
2 EXCLAM You can say ho hum to show that you accept an unpleasant situation because it is not very serious. [INFORMAL , FEELINGS ] □ Ho hum, another nice job down the drain.
hoi pol|loi /hɔ I pəlɔ I / N‑PLURAL If someone refers to the hoi polloi , they are referring in a humorous or rather rude way to ordinary people, in contrast to rich, well-educated, or upper-class people. □ Monstrously inflated costs are designed to keep the hoi polloi at bay.
hoist /hɔ I st/ (hoists , hoisting , hoisted )
1 VERB If you hoist something heavy somewhere, you lift it or pull it up there. □ [V n prep/adv] Hoisting my suitcase on to my shoulder, I turned and headed toward my hotel. □ [V pron-refl prep/adv] Grabbing the side of the bunk, he hoisted himself to a sitting position. [Also V n]
2 VERB If something heavy is hoisted somewhere, it is lifted there using a machine such as a crane. □ [be V -ed prep/adv] A twenty-foot steel pyramid is to be hoisted into position on top of the tower. □ [V n prep/adv] Then a crane hoisted him on to the platform.
3 N‑COUNT A hoist is a machine for lifting heavy things.
4 VERB If you hoist a flag or a sail, you pull it up to its correct position by using ropes. □ [V n] A group of youths hoisted their flag on top of the disputed monument.
5 hoist with your own petard → see petard
ho|kum /hoʊ kəm/ N‑UNCOUNT If you describe something as hokum , you think it is nonsense. [INFORMAL ] □ The book is enjoyable hokum.
hold
➊ PHYSICALLY TOUCHING, SUPPORTING, OR CONTAINING
➋ HAVING OR DOING
➌ CONTROLLING OR REMAINING
➍ PHRASES
➎ PHRASAL VERBS
➊ hold ◆◆◆ /hoʊ ld/ (holds , holding , held )
1 VERB When you hold something, you carry or support it, using your hands or your arms. □ [V n prep/adv] Hold the knife at an angle. □ [V n] He held the pistol in his right hand. ● N‑COUNT [usu sing] Hold is also a noun. □ He released his hold on the camera.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Hold is used in expressions such as grab hold of , catch hold of , and get hold of , to indicate that you close your hand tightly around something, for example to stop something moving or falling. □ [+ of ] I was woken up by someone grabbing hold of my sleeping bag. □ [+ of ] A doctor and a nurse caught hold of his arms.
3 VERB When you hold someone, you put your arms round them, usually because you want to show them how much you like them or because you want to comfort them. □ [V n adv] If only he would hold her close to him. [Also V n]
4 VERB If you hold someone in a particular position, you use force to keep them in that position and stop them from moving. □ [V n prep] He then held the man in an armlock until police arrived. □ [V n with adv] I'd got two nurses holding me down. [Also V n]
5 N‑COUNT A hold is a particular way of keeping someone in a position using your own hands, arms, or legs. □ …use of an unauthorized hold on a handcuffed suspect.
6 VERB When you hold a part of your body, you put your hand on or against it, often because it hurts. □ [V n] Soon she was crying bitterly about the pain and was holding her throat.
7 VERB When you hold a part of your body in a particular position, you put it into that position and keep it there. □ [V n prep/adv] Hold your hands in front of your face. □ [V -ed] He walked at a rapid pace with his back straight and his head held erect. [Also V n adj]
8 VERB If one thing holds another in a particular position, it keeps it in that position. □ [V n with adv] …the wooden wedge which held the heavy door open. □ [V n prep] They used steel pins to hold everything in place.
9 VERB If one thing is used to hold another, it is used to store it. □ [V n] Two knife racks hold her favourite knives.
10 N‑COUNT [oft n N ] In a ship or aeroplane, a hold is a place where cargo or luggage is stored. □ A fire had been reported in the cargo hold.