John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints

American English to British English Dictionary - H

Hackney

Overused, worn out. (British English has the expression "hackneyed phrase", meaning a term which is overused.)

Half and Half

See Cream.

Half Note

See Musical Notes.

Hamburger, Beefburger, Cheeseburger, etc.

 These words have exactly the same meaning in the USA and Canada as in the UK, but are perhaps worth explaining here.

A beefburger is beef alone (no bun, no salad, no sauce).

A burger or hamburger is beef in a bun, usually although not necessarily together with some form of salad and some kind of sauce.

Despite the name, a hamburger does contain beef, not ham. According to the definition of "Hamburg" in my edition of the Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary the name came from the city of Hamburg in Germany.

A cheeseburger is a hamburger with not only meat, salad and sauce but also a layer of cheese.

There is one additional term used in the USA and Canada: you often see "hamburger meat" on sale in supermarkets. Tim Showalter kindly sent me this explanation of the term:

Hamburger meat for sale in supermarkets is ground beef, occasionally called ground round or ground chuck. I never figured out what the difference between ground round and ground chuck was; I think it happened to be which supermarket I was in at the time. Hamburger meat should be lower quality than steak meat.
See also Sandwich

Hang A Left, Hang A Right

To "hang a left" is to make a left turn. To "hang a right" is to make a right turn.

Hardee's, Harley's, Harvey's, Arby's and RV's

See separate article.

Harness Racing

A type of horse racing. Each horse pulls a small two-wheeled cart called a sulky, guided by a driver.

Hardware Shop

Ironmongers. A shop which sells DIY home repair items and associated tools, etc.

Hat Check Girl

Cloakroom attendant.

Hash Marks

  1. Making hash marks is the crude method of counting by fives by drawing four vertical lines, then finishing them with a horizontal line drawn through them - used for scoring card games, counting days in jail, and the like.

  2. From American and Canadian Football, the dashed lines that divide the field into thirds lengthwise. Whenever the ball becomes dead on or outside one of these marks, it is placed on its respective hash mark.

  3. Service Stripes, also known as Hash Marks are worn by enlisted members of the US Marine Corps and the US Navy. Each stripe represents four years of service.

  4. A "hash" is a sporting event based on the old English game of "Hare and Hounds." The hare sets the trail using hash marks and the hounds attempt to follow. Attempt is the key word, as the hare tries their best to confuse, confound and bamboozle the hounds. Anything goes in a hash, but the one constant is beer: before, during and after the hash, in copious quantities. The trail is usually indicated by a series of hash "marks" laid down in flour, chalk, Kool-Aid, lime or whatever is handiest. There are some fairly standard marks but each hash "club" is free to interpret or embellish on these at will.
I'd like to thank Seth Verdot of Jefferson City Missouri who sent me the first of these definitions and Steve Lones of Berkeley California who sent me the others.

Hash Sign

The # symbol. Read "number", and so often also called a number sign. Often seen in film and television credits, for example Gangster #1, Gangster #2. Sometimes incorrectly called a Pound sign in America and Canada (a Pound sign really being £, of course). Older people may not be familiar with the use of the name "hash sign" and might call it a "number sign" instead.

Hawk A Loogie, Hock A Loogie, Hawk A Louie, Hawk A Lungie, Hawk A Lunger, Etc

To cough up phlegm.

Hawkeye State

Iowa.

Hazing

  1. A degrading or illegal or semi-legal initiation rite conducted, for example, by university student organisations such as fraternities or sororities, or members of a military unit. Such traditional rites are apparently widespread but officially condemned by the authorities of such establishments.

  2. Sexual harassment.

HBC

Hudson Bay Company, still very much an active operation in Canada, including the Zeller's department store chain.

HBO

Home Box Office. A cable/satellite television channel which mainly shows films and sporting events.

HC

In the USA, a road sign with the black letters "HC" inside a green circle indicates a hazardous cargo route, in other words a route which must be followed by trucks carrying hazardous cargoes.

HCFA

(United States) Health Care Financing Administration (a US Federal Government Department).

Headlamp

Headlight (of a car or other motor vehicle).

Heads-Up

  1. A display in a fighter aircraft (etc) which is reflected onto the windshield, so that the pilot can see it without having to look down.

  2. A quick meeting to discuss progress. Your boss might ask you for a heads-up on your current project.

  3. "Watch out!" From baseball and American football, where a shout of "heads up!" means that a ball is coming in your direction and that you should be looking up in order to spot it.

Heart Of Dixie

Alabama.

Heave

See Frost Heave.

Heavy Cream

Double cream.

Heartland Province

Ontario.

Herb

When referring to a plant used in cookery, "herb" is pronounced without the "h" in the USA. When used as a man's name, the "H" is pronounced.

"Here or to go?"

"Eat in or take away?". A universal inquiry, asked at every fast food restaurant counter.

Hero

Another name for a submarine sandwich.

Hex

To cast a spell on someone. I think the barns in some parts of the USA are decorated with hex signs, intended to guard them against evil, and these signs always have six-fold rotational symmetry.

HI

Hawaii.

Hiatus

In the USA and Canada, the word "hiatus" is often used to refer to any break in continuity, interruption, interregnum, respite and the suchlike, without the overtones of the break being chaotic as in the general British usage of the word.

Looking at the dictionary, it would appear that the American and Canadian usage is the more correct.

HID

High intensity discharge (HID) headlights, which are xenon-ignited and produce an intense blue-white light. The United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received about 1800 comments about these headlights, a record for one issue. Most of the comments were complaints about excessive glare.

Hidabed or Hideaway

A couch or sofa which can be converted into a bed.

High Five

Two people, slapping one hand each against the other person's, above the head. Performed as a greeting or celebration. The "five" refers to the five fingers. The behaviour originated amongst basketball players, it seems.

High On The Hog

To be rich, or well fed. The term comes from the fact that the best (and therefore most expensive) cuts of come from the upper part of a pig's (hog's) body.

Highball

  1. An indication from a railway (railroad) train's guard to its driver (engineer) that the train can pull out of a station. I do not know what form the indication takes (blowing a whistle, waving a flag, or some other means). Nor do I know how this term came into use.

  2. An alcoholic drink (whisky, for example) with water and ice, served in a tall glass. Jim Marcotte kindly sent me this comment:
    I believe the term originated in New England where many drank a shot of whiskey and a beer (referred to as a beer and a ball). Someone got the idea to add seltzer, or another dilution agent to the whiskey and since it required a tall glass it became a "high ball".
  3. According to one source, "highballing" is travelling at a reckless speed.

Highway Marker Shield

See separate article.

Highways, Roads and Routes

See separate article.

Hike

As well as its normal meaning, "hike" can also refer to an increase, usually in prices or wages. This meaning is often used as a media cliche term. For example, a headline might read "Teamsters Go For Pay Hike", meaning that lorry drivers are asking for a pay rise.

Hill, The Hill or Capitol Hill

Phrases used by the media for the United States Congress.

Hispanic

A person of Spanish-American or Latin American origin, for example Mexican or Puerto Rican. Chicano and Latino are closely related terms. All three words can be considered as insulting by some and are therefore best avoided unless you fully understand their implications, which vary depending on region.

HMO

Health Maintenance Organisation. These are the private insurance plans through which most people in the USA receive their coverage. The regulation of them is one of the hottest current political issues. (My thanks to Matt Hungerford of San Francisco who kindly contributed this entry.)

Hmong

An ethnic group which I think originates from Laos.

HNL

Airport code for Honolulu International Airport, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Hoagie

A variant on the submarine sandwich theme.

Hobo

A tramp, or a casual or itinerant worker.

Hockey

 By default, the word hockey is always taken to mean ice hockey in the USA and Canada. If you want to refer to hockey played on grass (etc) then use the term "field hockey".

Hog

Pig.

Hogan

A traditional circular house with a conical roof, built by the Navajo people. Although modern housing is available on the Navajo Reservation, many Navajo still prefer to live in hogans.

Hole

A wide flat valley surrounded by mountains, for example Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Holiday

In the USA, the word "holiday" is restricted so as to only refer to statutory holidays. An employee's annual leave and the breaks between school terms (etc) are called vacations.

Holland

The name "Holland" is often used by mistake to refer the Netherlands as a whole, as it is in Britain. Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland are two provinces of the Netherlands, the others being Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Overijssel, Utrecht and Zeeland.

Homecoming

Every year most American high schools and colleges have a large homecoming celebration, which almost always includes a major American football game. In most cases a homecoming queen and king are elected to represent the school. According to one theory the term came from the idea of celebrating the football team's return after many weeks playing matches elsewhere. However, it appears that the term is actually refers to a special event intended to attract former students (alumni) back to the school.

Homemaker

Housewife.

Homer

  1. In American baseball a "homer" or home run occurs when the batter hits the ball out of the ball park (playing area) and/or is able to run to all four bases without being tagged out. (My thanks to Roy Bartee for this definition).

  2. An imbecile or buffoon; an "old fool". From a character in "The Simpsons" cartoon series.

Homeschooling

The practice of educating children at home. The following quote appeared in the 25-Sep-03 edition of Tourbus (external link verified Jun-02):
According to the National Home Education Research Institute, there are over two million homeschooled children in the USA, and this number is growing by 15% per year.

Homestake Lode

See separate article.

Homestead Act

In the USA, the Homestead Act of 1862 entitled anyone to the ownership of a quarter section (160 acres) of public land provided the land was settled on or cultivated for five years.

Homestead Association

The name given in Louisiana to what is generally known elsewhere in the USA as a Savings and Loan Association.

Homicide

Murder.

Hominy

See Mush.

Homo Milk

The Canadian name for homogenised milk. Called whole milk in the USA.

Honky

An African American slang expression for a white person.

Hood

  1. Bonnet (of a car).

  2. Short for hoodlum, meaning a gangster (long since obsolete but heard in old films).

Hoodoo

A rock pillar or pinnacle, as are seen in huge numbers in Bryce Canyon National Park and similar areas.

Hooker

Prostitute. The British use of the word to refer to one of the players in a rugby team is not generally understood in the USA.

Hookey or Hooky

To play hookey (or hooky) is to truant from school.

Hoops

Basketball.

Hoosier State

Indiana.

Hot Box

An overheated axle bearing on a railway carriage or truck.

Hot Dog

 A sausage (usually a frankfurter) in an elongated bun, often served with ketchup and a mild mustard. A chili dog is a hot dog served with chili sauce.

HOT Lanes

High Occupancy Toll lanes, meaning "high occupancy or toll" lanes. Special lanes on a multi-lane road which can be used free of charge by vehicles with enough occupants to constitute a car pool, but which are subject to a toll for other vehicles. In some cases these lanes can only be used by vehicles that have special electronic tags and there are no facilities to pay tolls by means of cash. HOT lanes are a relatively new development.

Hot Tub

Bath. The term is often used to mean a hot bath such as a whirlpool or a Jacuzzi, taken more for relaxation than for cleansing purposes, often round in shape and with water jets.

Hot Wings

See Buffalo Wings.

House-Trailer

Caravan.

HOV

High Occupancy Vehicle, i.e. a Carpool.

HR

See Human Resources.

HST

Harmonised Sales Tax. A form of sales tax in Canada. See the Sales Tax page for details.

Hub of the Maritimes

See separate article.

Hubs and Spurs

 The system used throughout the USA and Canada whereby airlines have a relatively small number of major hub airports, at which their routes (and presumably their maintenance and other facilities) are concentrated. Long haul flights connect hubs, while numerous short routes radiating out from each hub service the smaller local spur airports. In order to fly from one local airport to another remote local airport you will need to take a short flight to the nearest hub, a long flight to the remote hub, then a local flight to the final destination. While inconvenient to travellers, this is really the only practical method of organising airline routes over such a large region.

The "gateways" where each airline's flights across the Atlantic land in the USA and Canada are almost always the same as their hubs.

Visitors to the USA from abroad must clear US customs and immigration at the first airport they land at, which is called the "port of entry". Passengers must always retrieve their checked baggage at the port of entry in order to clear US customs. If they are then taking an onward domestic flight within the USA they need to check the baggage in again. On the return trip back to their own country there are no customs formalities in the USA so the baggage is usually moved between flights by the airline. However you need to check this vital point, especially if your flights are with different airlines.

Each airline has its own set of hubs, although many hubs are shared by several airlines. A quick look at an airline's route map will identify their hubs immediately.

Travel Trade Jargon

Human Resources (HR)

A company's Personnel Department.

Any company which calls its Personnel Department "Human Resources" is surely revealing a great deal about how poorly it regards and treats its employees.

Humidex

Humidity index. Used by weather forecasters in Canada to express the perceived temperature when the humidity is taken into account, in a way similar to wind-chill factor.

Hunter-Gatherer

Although this is not specifically an American English term, it is probably worth explaining here since it is often used when referring to the history of some North American Indian tribes. It refers to the early stage of human development prior to the invention of agriculture, in which food is obtained by hunting animals and gathering wild plants etc. It implies a nomadic existence.

Hunting

In the USA, the word "hunting" normally means shooting large and dangerous wild animals with rifles while dressed normally, rather than pursuing non-dangerous animals with dogs while dressed in a ridiculous costume as in Britain. [Perceptive readers might detect a slight prejudice in the author here :)]

Hurricane

 A tropical cyclone which originates over an ocean, particularly in the West Indian region, including the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricanes only occur north of the equator. In a hurricane high velocity winds blow circularly around a low pressure centre called the eye of the storm. The area affected by destructive winds can be greater than 150 miles in diameter, with gale force winds covering up to 300 miles in diameter. The strength of a hurricane is rated from 1 to 5, 1 being the mildest and 5 the strongest. Hurricanes generally move in a parabolic curved path, usually first in a northwesterly direction at 5 to 20mph and then later northeast at up to 50mph. The National Hurricane Centre in Florida tracks and predicts the path of each storm. Damage is usually confined to coastal regions. See Extreme Weather Conditions.

Hutch

Welsh dresser (the item of furniture).
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