Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[heartbreaker] <n.> One with numerous admirers of the opposite sex; one with whom others fall in love readily. * /Tom, who has four girls in love with him at college, has developed the reputation of being a heartbreaker./

[heart and soul(1)] <n.> Eager love; strong feeling; great enthusiasm. Often used with a singular verb. * /When Mr. Pitt plays the piano, his heart and soul is in it./ * /John plays tennis badly, but with heart and soul./ * /Mary wanted a puppy with all her heart and soul./

[heart and soul(2)] <adv.> Wholly and eagerly; with all one's interest and strength; completely. * /Will you try to make our city a better place? Then we are with you heart and soul./ * /Mike was heart and soul against the new rules./ Compare: BODY AND SOUL.

[heart goes out to] <formal> You feel very sorry for; you feel pity or sympathy for.
– Used with a possessive. * /Frank's heart went out to the poor children playing in the slum street./ * /Our hearts went out to the young mother whose child had died./

[hear the beat] or [see the beat] <v. phr.>, <dialect> To hear of or to see someone or something better or surpassing.
– Usually used in negative or interrogative sentences and often followed by "of". * /I never heard the beat! John swam all the way across the river. Did you ever hear the beat of it?/ * /The juggler spun a table around on the tip of his finger. I never saw the beat of that./

[heart in one's mouth] or [heart in one's boots] A feeling of great fear or nervousness.
– Often considered trite. * /Charles got up to make his first speech with his heart in his mouth./ * /My heart was in my mouth as I went into the haunted house./ * /When the bear came out of the woods towards us, our hearts were in our mouths./ Compare: HAIR STAND ON END.

[heart is in the right place] or [have one's heart in the right place] To be kind-hearted, sympathetic or well-meaning; have good intentions. * /All the tramps and stray dogs in the neighborhood knew that Mrs. Brown's heart was in the right place./ * /Tom looks very rough but his heart is in the right place./

[heart miss a beat] See: HEART SKIP A BEAT.

[heart of gold] <n. phr.> A kind, generous, or forgiving nature. * /John has a heart of gold. I never saw him angry at anyone./ * /Mrs. Brown is a rich woman with a heart of gold./ Compare: GOOD AS GOLD, HEART IN THE RIGHT PLACE.

[heart of stone] <n. phr.> A. nature without pity. * /Mr. Smith has a heart of stone. He whipped his horse until it fell down./

[heart-searching] See: SEARCH ONE'S HEART.

[heart set] See: SET ONE'S HEART ON.

[heart sink] To lose hope, courage, or eagerness; be very disappointed. * /The soldiers' hearts sank when they saw that they were surrounded by Indians./ * /The children were happy because they were going to the beach to swim, but their hearts sank when it began to rain./

[heart skip a beat] or [heart miss a beat] 1. The heart leaves out or seems to leave out a beat; the heart beats hard or leaps from excitement or strong feeling.
– Often considered trite. * /When Paul saw the bear standing in front of him, his heart skipped a beat./ 2. To be startled or excited from surprise, joy. or fright. * /When Linda was told that she had won, her heart missed a beat./

[heart stand still] <v. phr.> To be very frightened or worried. * /Johnny's heart stood still when he saw his dog run into the street in front of a car./ * /Everybody's heart stood still when the President announced that war was declared./ Compare: HAIR STAND ON END.

[heart-to-heart] <adj.> Speaking freely and seriously about something private. * /The father decided to have a heart-to-heart talk with his son about smoking./ * /She waited until they were alone so she could have a heart-to-heart talk with him./ Compare: MAN-TO-MAN.

[hearty] See: HALE AND HEARTY.

[heat] See: CANNED HEAT.

[heave in sight] <v. phr.> To seem to rise above the horizon at sea and come into sight; come into view; become visible.
– Usually used of ships. * /A ship hove in sight many miles away on the horizon./

[heaven] See: MOVE HEAVEN AND EARTH, WOULD THAT or WOULD HEAVEN.

[heaven knows] or [heaven only knows] See: GOD KNOWS.

[heavenly days!] <interj.>, <informal> Exclamation of amazement and disbelief with negative coloring. * /Heavenly days! Look what happened! The dog did it again on the Persian carpet!/ Compare: GOOD GRIEF!

[heave to] <v.> To bring a ship to a stop; bring a sailing ship to a standstill by setting the sails in a certain way. * /"Heave to!" the captain shouted to his crew./ * /We fired a warning shot across the front of the pirate ship to make her heave to./

[heave up] See: THROW UP.

[heavy] See: HANG HEAVY or HANG HEAVY ON ONE'S HANDS, HOT AND HEAVY.

[heavy-duty] <adj.> Made for long or hard use; very strong. * /The lumberman used heavy-duty trucks for hauling logs down the mountains./ * /The workers in the steel mill have heavy-duty gloves for handling hot steel./ * /Mrs. Carlson bought a heavy-duty cleanser to clean her greasy oven./

[heavy-footed] <adj.> 1. Slow and clumsy in walking or movement; awkward in using your feet. * /The fat man tried to dance, but he was too heavy-footed./ * /Martha is not fat, but she is heavy-footed and walks noisily./ 2. Awkward in choice and order of words; not smooth and graceful; clumsy. * /In Mary's compositions, the words seem to dance, but John's compositions are always heavy-footed./ 3. or [lead-footed] <informal> Likely to drive an automobile fast. * /Jerry is a bad driver because he is too heavy-footed./ Compare: STEP ON IT.

[heavy-handed] <adj.> 1. Not skillful or graceful; clumsy. * /George is heavy-handed and seldom catches the ball./ * /My sister plays the piano badly; she is too heavy-handed./ * /Tim told a heavy-handed joke about the principal's baldness that embarrassed everyone./ 2. Likely to hit or punish hard; harsh or cruel in making (someone) obey. * /Years ago many fathers were heavy-handed bosses in their homes./ * /Many American colonists believed that the English tax collectors were too heavy-handed./ 3. See: HAM-HANDED.

[heavy heart] <n. phr.> A feeling of being weighed down with sorrow; unhappiness. * /They had very heavy hearts as they went to the funeral./

[heck] See: RAISE THE DEVIL or RAISE HECK or RAISE HOB or RAISE NED.

[heck of it] See: DEVIL OF IT.

[hedge about] or [hedge in] 1. To surround with a hedge or barrier; protect or separate by closing in. * /The house is hedged about with hushes and trees./ * /The little garden is hedged in to keep the chickens out./ 2. To keep from getting out or moving freely; keep from acting freely; block in. * /The boys are hedged in today. They can only play in the backyard./ * /The king said he could not make new laws if he was so hedged in by old ones./ Syn.: FENCE IN.