The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (36 page)

hac lege (hac legay) LATIN [with this
law] adverb phrase under this law or
regulation.

Hades (hdeez), hades GREEK [after
Haides, god of the underworld] noun
the underworld, or hell, or the god
who rules the abode of the dead: "She
stood feafully at the extreme edge of a
stupendous clff, where it sheered dark and
forbidding, down and down, into what
seemed red and boundless depths of Hades."
(Zane Grey, Call of the Canyon, 1924).

hadj See HAJJ.

hadji See HAJJI.

hafiz (hahfiz) PERSIAN [from Arabic
hafiz, one who memorizes or guards]
noun a Muslim who has memorized
the Koran.

Haggadah (hagahda) HEBREW [tale or
telling] noun (in Judaism) traditional
Jewish lore, which forms the nonlegal
part of the Talmud; also the Hebrew
text recited and discussed at the seder,
on the first two nights of the Passover
meal.

ha-ha (hah hah) FRENCH [from haha,
probably inspired by the cry of surprise that might greet the discovery
of a concealed barrier] noun a ditch

with a sunken retaining wall, used
in parks and gardens to create a barrier to livestock without defacing the
landscape: "Farm animals were kept out of
the park by the discreet use of a ha-ha."

haiku (hikoo) JAPANESE [from hai
amusement, entertainment and ku
sentence] noun (plural haiku or haikus) a Japanese verse form consisting
of three unrhymed lines with a total
of 17 syllables (5-7-5), typically on
the topic of nature or the seasons: "She
spent the morning trying to compose a
haiku about a raindrop on a leaf. "

hajj (haj), hadj ARABIC [pilgrimage]
noun the pilgrimage to the sacred
mosque at Mecca that all Muslims
are expected to make (luring their
lifetimes as a matter of religious duty:
"Devotees may excuse themselves from making the hajj on the grounds of physical disability or a range of other inconveniences."

hajji (hajee), hadji ARABIC [pilgrim]
noun (feminine hajja, haja, or hadja)
a person who has successfully completed the pilgrimage to the sacred
mosque at Mecca that all Muslims are
expected to make during their lifetimes as a matter of religious duty.

haka (haka) MAORI noun a ceremonial
war dance of the Maori people of
New Zealand: "The New Zealand rugby
squad is famous for its performance of the
haka before major internationals matches."

hakim' (hakkim), hakeem ARABIC
[ruler, from hakama to pass judgment]
noun (plural hakims or hakeems) a
judge, ruler, or administrator in a
Muslim country: "The hakim said that
at any time we may return to the Plains,
for we do no more than skirt the pleasant
places. The hakim is full of learning; but he
is in no way proud" (Rudyard Kipling,
Kim, 1901).

hakim2 (hakeem) ARABIC [wise man]
noun (plural hakims) a physician in a
Muslim country.

halakah (halaka, halakah), halacha
(HEBREW [that which one walks by,
way, from halak, to walk] noun that
part of Talmudic writing that deals
with Jewish religious law.

halal (halal), hallal ARABIC [lawful,
according to religious law] adjective
of or relating to meat slaughtered
and prepared in a ritual manner
according to Islamic holy law: "The
store carries an impressive range of
halal meats." -noun meat that has
been slaughtered and prepared in a
ritual manner according to Islamic
holy law.

halcyon (halseean, halsyan) GREEK
[alkuon kingfisher] adjective peaceful,
calm, prosperous, or idyllic. 'noun in
Greek myth, a legendary bird that was
believed to calm the waves by magic
in order to nest at sea during the win

ter solstice, often identified with the
kingfisher: "Then for the teeming quietest, happiest days of all! / The brooding
and blissful halcyon days!" (Walt Whitman, "Halcyon Days," Leaves of Grass,
1891-92 version).

hallal See HALAL.

hallelujah (halayloo),a, halilooya), halleluiah, alleluia HEBREW [praise ye
the Lord, from hallelu praise and Yah
God] interjection an expression of
praise, joy, or thanks: "In heaven, all
the redeemed are shouting `Hallelujah!"'
noun a shout or song of praise, joy,
or thanksgiving.

hamartia (hamahrteea) LATIN [failure
or fault] noun (in literature) a tragic
flaw leading to the downfall of a hero
or heroine.

hande hoch (handee hok) GERMAN
[hands up] noun phrase an instruction
to a prisoner to put his or her hands in
the air to indicate surrender, in imitation of Allied troops to captured German soldiers in the two world wars:
"The boy pointed his stick threateningly and
growled `hdnde hoch!' just as he had seen
soldiers in the movies do."

Hanukkah (hanuka), Hanukah,
Chanukah HEBREW [dedication]
noun an eight-day Jewish holiday
commemorating the rededication of
the Temple of Jerusalem in 165 B.C.

hara-kiri (hara kiree), hari-kari (haree
karee) JAPANESE [from Kara belly and
kiri cutting] noun Japanese tradition
of ritual suicide by disembowelment
and cut throat, associated with the
aristocratic samurai class; also formerly employed as a form of capital
punishment imposed by feudal courts
in Japan. Commonly applied today to
any apparently deliberate self-harming act or policy: "The opposition reveled in the government's apparent act of
hara-kiri, knowing that these latest tax
increases would lose millions of votes in
the election."

Hare Krishna (haree krishna) HINDI
[0 Krishna] noun phrase a religious
movement based on Hindu principles, founded by Surami Prabhupada
and dedicated to worship of the god
Krishna, or one of its adherents: 4s
a teenager she had flirted with the idea of
taking up Hare Krishna."

harem (haram, heram) TURKISH
[sanctuary, derived from Arabic Karam
something forbidden] noun the
wives, concubines, and various female
servants and relatives of a single
Muslim man, or the part of a building in which they live, often secluded
from contact with the outside world.
Also applied to female animals of
certain species who share a single
mate.

haricots vents (hariko vair) FRENCH
[green beans, possibly after Aztec

ayacotlil plural noun a variety of bean
(Phaseolus vulgaris) with edible green
pods.

hari-kari See HARA-KIRI.

hashish (hasheesh, hasheesh, hashish),
hasheesh ARABIC [from basis, dry
herb] noun the concentrated resin
of the female cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa) that has a narcotic effect
if smoked, chewed, or drunk: "Having neither opium nor hashish on hand,
and being desirous of filling his brain
with twilight, he had had recourse to
that fearful mixture of brandy, stout,
absinthe, which produces the most terrible of lethargies" (Victor Hugo, Les
Miserables, 1862). -abbreviated form
hash.

hasta la vista (asta la veesta) SPANISH
[until the sight] interjection good-bye,
until we meet again, or, see you again:
"He rose his arm in salute as he drove away,
calling a final Hasta la vista, baby' over
his shoulder."

hasta luego (asta loon) SPANISH
[until later] interjection phrase see you
later!

hasta manana (asta manna) SPANISH [until tomorrow] interjection see
you tomorrow.

hatha yoga (hata Aga) SANSKRIT
[from hatha force and yoga yoga] noun
phrase a system of physical exercise and breathing control that developed
as a Hindu discipline.

hausfrau (howsfrow) GERMAN [wife,
from Hans house and Frau woman]
noun (plural hausfraus or hausfrauen,
howsfrowan) a housewife: "Their
host was a hausfrau with a brittle smile
and bad teeth."

haute bourgeoisie (ot boorzhahzee) FRENCH [high bourgeoisie] noun
phrase the upper middle or professional class.

haute couture (ot kootoor, of koochoor) FRENCH [high sewing] noun
phrase high fashion, or the top design
houses that dictate current fashion
and the products they produce: "Few
people can afford to fill their wardrobe
with examples of modern haute couture."
-abbreviated form couture.

haute cuisine (ot kwizeen) FRENCH
[high cooking] noun phrase elaborate
or fashionable, high-quality cuisine,
as offered at the best restaurants and
hotels: "The hotel is noted for its haute
cuisine, the work of its internationally
famous chef. "

haute ecole (ot ekol) FRENCH [high
school] noun phrase in horse riding, an advanced level of dressage;
sometimes applied to music and other
arts.

haute monde See HAUT MONDE.

haute noblesse (ot nobles) FRENCH
[high nobility] noun the upper echelons of the nobility.

haute politique (ot politeek) FRENCH
[high politics] noun phrase politics as
conducted at the most senior or rarefied levels: "The two ambassadors were
deep in conversation on matters of haute
politique."

hauteur (oter, hoter) FRENCH [from
haut high] noun haughtiness, arrogance, or condescension of manner:
"Now they were men and women of the
world, very supercilious men and women;
the boys condescended to Babbitt, they
wore evening-clothes, and with hauteur
they accepted cigarettes from silver cases"
(Sinclair Lewis, Babbitt, 1922).

haut monde (o mond), haute monde
(ot mond) FRENCH [high world] noun
phrase fashionable or high society.

haut-relief (oreleef) FRENCH [high
relief] noun a sculpture or carving in
high relief: "The pulpit is decorated with
figures of angels in haut-relief. "

haut ton (a ton(g)) FRENCH [high
tone] noun phrase high fashion: "An
air of extreme haut ton, however, pervaded her whole appearance; she wore in
a graceful and degage manner, a large
and beautiful winding-sheet of the finest
India lawn..." (Edgar Allan Poe, "King
Pest"). 'abbreviated form ton.

H.C. See HONORIS CAUSA; HORS
CONCOURS.

hegemony (heanee hegemanee,
hcjemonce) GREEK [from hegemon
leader] noun domination or influence over others: "Moscow regards its
energy partnership with the EU as an
important instrument with which to restore
hegemony over the Commonwealth of
Independent States" (Guardian, November
21, 2000).

hegira (hea, Mara), hejira, hijra
(hijra) ARABIC [from hijrah flight,
departure] noun a journey made
to escape danger or unpleasantness, after the journey made by the
prophet Muhammad from Mecca to
Medina in A.D. 622 to escape persecution (marking the start of the
Muslim era): "'This is the argument
of my opera. ' He paused. `The first act,'
he went on, 'shows Mahomet as a porter
to Kadijah, a rich widow with whom
his uncle placed him. He is in love and
ambitious. Driven from Mecca, he escapes
to Medina, and dates his era from his
flight, the Hegira "'(Honore de Balzac,
Gambara, 1837).

Heimweh (himvay) GERMAN [home
woe] noun homesickness.

hejab See HIJAB.

heldentenor (hcldantanor, heldantenar) GERMAN [hero tenor, from
Held hero] noun (in music) a man

with a powerful tenor voice of wide
range, suitable for heroic roles in
opera.

helix (heeliks) GREEK [from eilyein to
roll, wrap] noun (plural helixes, heeliksez, or helices, heeliseez) a spiral
or coil: "The whole external shell may be
considered a rudiment, together with the
various folds and prominences (helix and
anti-helix, tragus and anti-tragus, &c.)
which in the lower animals strengthen and
support the ear when erect, without adding
much to its weight" (Charles Darwin,
The Descent of Man, 1871).

herculean (herkyoolccan, herkyaleean) LATIN [after Hercules, itself
meaning glory of Hera, from Greek
Hera and kleos glory] adjective of or
relating to something colossal, mammoth, or daunting in scale, power,
intensity, or difficulty, in reference
to the legendary Greek hero Hercules: "Cataloging the thousands of new
library books is certainly a herculean
task."

hernia (herneea) LATIN [rupture]
noun the protrusion of an organ or
other body part through the structure that encloses it: "The hernia
became larger and more painful when he
coughed."

herpes (herpeez) LATIN [from herpein
to creep] noun a group of inflammatory viral diseases of the skin and
nervous system.

Herr (hair) GERMAN [mister, sir,
lord, master] noun (plural Herren,
heren) courtesy title among German speakers for a man.

Herrenvolk (heranfok, heranfolk) GERMAN [master race] noun a people who
believe they are superior to all other
races and destined to rule the world, a
concept espoused by the Nazi Party in
Germany in the 1930s and 1940s.

Hezbollah See HIZBOLLAH.

hiatus (hitas) LATIN [opening, cleft,
gap, from hiare to yawn] noun (plural
hiatuses, hiaitasiz) an interruption
or break in continuity or time: "The
long street which connected Moonstone
with the depot settlement traversed in its
course a considerable stretch of rough open
country, staked out in lots but not built up
at all, a weedy hiatus between the town
and the railroad" (Willa Cather, The
Song of the Lark, 1915).

hibachi (hibachi) JAPANESE [from hi
fire and hachi bowl] noun a Japanese
pot or brazier for burning charcoal
for heating purposes; also a variety of
portable outdoor cooking equipment
resembling a barbecue.

hic et ubique (hic et oobikway) LATIN
[here and everywhere] adverb phrase
here and everywhere.

hic iacet (hic met), hic jacet LATIN
[here lies] noun phrase here lies, an

epitaph or inscription on a tombstone.
'abbreviated form H.J.

hie sepultus (hic setas), hic sepultus est (hic sepultas est) LATIN
[here buried, here is buried] noun
phrase here is buried, an epitaph or
inscription on a tombstone. "'abbreviated form H.S.

hidalgo (hidalgo) SPANISH [from Old
Spanish fijo dalgo, son of something,
son of property] noun (plural hidalgos,
hidalgoz) a member of the lower
Spanish aristocracy, or someone who
behaves like an aristocrat or aspires
to become one: "A procession of noble
boys, fantastically dressed as TOREADORS,
came out to meet her, and the young Count
of Tierra-Nueva, a wonderfully handsome
lad of about fourteen years of age, uncovering his head with all the grace of a born
hidalgo and grandee of Spain, led her
solemnly in to a little gilt and ivory chair
that was placed on a raised dais above the
arena" (Oscar Wilde, A House of Pomegranates, 1891).