hol Idiom, Proverb
a hollow leg
space for a lot of drink, room for a lot of beer Parl drank six bottles of beer. He must have a hollow leg!
a holy pile
a lot, very much, tons To feed 20 people, you need a holy pile of spaghetti.
a household name
"a name everyone knows; name of a famous person" Mario Lemieux, the hockey star, soon became a household name.
ace in the hole
a hidden strength or talent Sam's ace in the hole is honesty, which his clients soon discover.
beauty is in the eye of the beholder
each person has a different idea of what is beautiful, one man's garbage... "To him, the statue is elegant; to me, it's ugly. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!"
burn a hole in one
money that you want to spend quickly I just got paid today and this money is burning a hole in my pocket.
burn a hole in your pocket
feel that you have to spend your money If money burns a hole in your pocket, invest it.
buttonhole you
stop you and talk to you, corner you and bore you At the meeting, Al buttonholed me and asked me to vote Reform.
can't hold a candle
(See hold a candle)
don't hold your breath
it is not going to happen soon, be prepared to wait The City will repair the street but don't hold your breath.
don't know your ass from a hole in the ground
you are ignorant, you are mistaken, mixed up He said one member of the cult was so confused he didn't know his ass from a hole in the ground.
get a hold of
talk to, phone I tried to get a hold of Pierre when I was in Montreal.
get hold of (someone)
find a person so you can speak with him or her I tried to get hold of him last week but he was out of town.
get hold of (something)
get possession of When you get hold of a dictionary could you please let me see it for a few minutes.
go the whole hog
make a thorough job of something They really went the whole hog in their efforts to welcome the foreign visitors.
go whole hog
do something completely or thoroughly They went whole hog in their effort to make sure that the convention was a success.
hold a candle
do as well, compare with, measure up The Buick is nice, but it can't hold a candle to the Cadillac.
hold a candle to
be in the same class or level with (used with a negative usually), can be compared with As far as good service goes that restaurant can
hold a grudge
stay angry for a long time, bad blood He gets mad, but he never holds a grudge. He forgives easily.
hold a meeting
organize and conduct a meeting The club will hold a meeting on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
hold all the trump cards
have the best chance of winning, have full control It will be difficult to do well in the negotiations with him as he holds all the trump cards.
hold back
stay back or away, show unwillingness, prevent someone from doing something He always holds back during meetings and never says anything.
hold court
act like a king or queen among their subjects He always acts like he is holding court among his subjects when I see him in his office.
hold down
keep in obedience, keep control of The government was able to hold down the people for many years but finally they revolted and got rid of the government.
hold down a job
keep a job He has a serious drinking problem and is unable to hold down a job.
hold forth
offer, propose The company held forth a promise to give all of the employees an extra bonus in the summer.
hold good
continue, endure, last The demand for air conditioners held good during July but decreased rapidly in August.
hold her liquor
drink but not get drunk, hold your drinks Thelma can hold her liquor. She looks sober after five drinks.
hold it
stop, this is important, hold on, wait a minute """You and I will swim over to - "" ""Hold it! I can't swim. I didn't agree to swim anywhere!"""
hold me responsible
say that I am responsible, carry the can, lay the blame Because I'm the cashier, the manager holds me responsible for missing cash.
hold off
keep away by force The man was able to hold off the police for several hours before he was arrested.
hold on
wait a minute, stop, wait and not hang up the phone Please hold on for a minute while I go back and lock the window.
hold on to
continue to hold or keep, hold tightly Hold on to your bag when you are in the bus or someone may try and steal it.
hold one
stop breathing for a moment when one is excited or nervous I held my breath and waited to see if my name had been called for an interview with the movie company.keep back arguments or facts, keep from telling something You should hold your fire during the meeting and save the rest of the information until next week.stop and wait patiently Hold your horses for a minute while I return to get my wallet.defend onebe silent and not speak against something, be still Please try and hold your peace during the meeting as it will be to our disadvantage if we have a confrontation.keep quiet He decided to hold his tongue rather than give his honest opinion.
hold-out
a person who does not agree There are two hold-outs, but both people are willing to negotiate.
hold out for
wait to get full price, drive a hard bargain He'll hold out for the full price of his car. He'll wait.
hold out for something
refuse to give up, keep resisting The famous basketball star is holding out for a large salary increase.
hold out on
refuse information or belongings to which someone has a right The new manager has been holding out on the company and will not tell anyone his plans.
hold over
extend the engagement of, keep longer The movie was held over for another week.
hold something back
keep information or something to or for oneself He is holding back the information about the new computer system.
hold still
not move Please hold still while I fix your jacket zipper.
hold that over my head
remind me of my mistake, judge me by a failure My parking ticket - is he going to hold that over my head?
hold the fort
cope in an emergency, act as a temporary substitute He has been holding the fort at his company while his boss is on vacation.
hold the line
not yield to pressure or something The company has been holding the line on any new salary increases.
hold the phone
wait a minute, let me think about it """Dad, I'm going to quit school."" ""Hold the phone! Let's talk."""
hold the purse strings
control how much is spent, decide when to spend He does the talking, but she holds the purse strings.
hold the reins
be the most influential person He has been holding the reins in his company for many years.
hold up
rob at gunpoint The criminal was able to hold up three people before he was caught.
hold water
be logical, be sensible He can't be in two places at once. His story doesn't hold water.
hold you up
delay you, cause you to be late Did the traffic hold you up? Is that why you were late?
