hang around
The phrase ‘hang around’ means ‘be about‘, as illustrated by the sentence ‘She is hanging around the corridor.‘.
happy as can be
The phrase ‘happy as can be’ means ‘extremely happy and contended‘, as illustrated by the sentence ‘When Jane heard that she had been successful in her job application, she was happy as could be.‘.
hard up against
The phrase ‘hard up against’ means ‘right next to, or really close to‘.
have [someone’s] interests at heart
If you say ‘I am doing this because I have my son’s interests at heart’, you mean ‘I am concerned about my son and that is why I am doing this‘.
have a cold
You use ‘a’ for ‘cold’ but ‘the’ for ‘flu’ as follows: ‘I have a cold.‘; ‘I have the flu.‘
have a finger in the pie
The phrase ‘have a finger in the pie’ is used in the context where someone is involved in something, especially in an annoyingly interfering way.
have a look-see
The phrase ‘have a look-see’ means ‘have a glance, a peek, or a brief examination‘.
have a play with
The phrase ‘have a play with (something)’ means ‘spend time playing with (something e.g. a game, toy, etc.)‘ as in the sentence ‘I had a play with my new computer game.‘
have change for
The following sentence serves as an example that illustrates the meaning of ‘have change for’: ‘Sorry, I don’t have change for $50; I only carry 100’s.‘
have eyes for
The phrase ‘I have eyes for’ means ‘I am interested in‘.
have got your back
The phrase ‘have got your back’ means ‘will protect, support, or look out for you‘.
Have you got a minute
The phrase ‘Have you got a minute’ may be used in sentences such as ‘Have you got a minute to look at this?‘.
have your eye on [something]
The phrase ‘have your eye on [something]’ has two meanings.
One of its meanings is ‘have seen [something] that you want and that you intend to get‘. The other meaning is ‘admire and want to have [something]‘.
have your heart set on (doing) [something]
The phrase ‘have your heart set on (doing) [something]’ means ‘decide that you want (to do) [something] very much‘.
head off
‘Head Off’ means ‘depart (for some destination)‘, as illustrated by the following sentences: ‘What time are we heading off?‘; ‘She just headed off to her office.‘
head start
A ‘head start’ is an ‘advantage over other people in a race or competition‘.
The following sentence serves as an example that illustrates the meaning of ‘head start’: ‘Since I have the relevant work experience, I believe I’ll have a head start over/on others trying to get the job.‘
hear of
The phrase ‘hear of‘ means ‘learn of the existence of‘, whereas ‘hear about‘ means ‘learn about‘.
hold off
The phrase ‘hold off’ means ‘delay or stop (doing something)‘.
The following sentences serve as examples that illustrate the meaning of ‘hold off’: ‘Let’s hold off on this job until we have more information.‘; ‘Hold off on uploading the photos.‘; ‘Let’s hold off until we have more information.‘
horse around
The phrase ‘horse around’ means ‘play or fool around in a rowdy or rough manner‘.
how much
When you use the phrase ‘how much’ in a sentence such as ‘How much did you buy the book for?‘, don’t forget to include the word ‘for’.