hey

H0007400 (hā)interj. Informal 1. Used to attract attention or to express surprise, appreciation, wonder, or pleasure: "Oh, hey, you saw that ninety-nine-yard punt return in the Super Bowl? Wow, so did I!" (Don Pfarrer).2. Used to express greeting.

[Middle English hei.]Word History: A word sounding like hey has been used in English since Middle English times—Middle English hei was used to call someone's attention and also to express anger, derision, or opposition. Hei could also be used to urge dogs on during the hunt and to express grief or concern—this was probably a long, drawn out hey.... The word probably originated simply as an imitation of the various loud, meaningless exclamations that people may utter when they are surprised or trying to attract the attention of others. Nowadays, we find the word hey used in various other ways, as for emphasis in the expression but hey. It is also used as a greeting, the short, colloquial equivalent of How are you? and thus close kin to the informal salutation hi. Hi appears to have arisen in North American English in the middle of the 1800s. However, hey seems to be replacing hi in many situations today. Until recently, the greeting hey had a distinctly Southern flavor. The national survey conducted in the 1960s by the Dictionary of American Regional English found hey as a greeting restricted chiefly to Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. The friendly hey has since spread throughout the United States. Interjections sounding like hey are also used as greetings in other languages, such as Swedish hej.

hey

(heɪ) interj1. an expression indicating surprise, dismay, discovery, etc, or calling for another's attention2. South African an exclamation used for emphasis at the end of a statement, or alone to seek repetition or confirmation of another person's statement3. hey presto an exclamation used by conjurors to herald the climax of a trick[C13: compare Old French hay, German hei, Swedish hej]

hey

(heɪ)

interj. (used as an exclamation to call attention or to express pleasure, surprise, bewilderment, etc.) [Middle English hei]

Translations

嗨！表示喜悦或提问或引起注意的喊声

hey

(hei) interjection a shout expressing joy, or a question, or used to attract attention. Hey! What are you doing there? （表示喜悦或提问，或引起注意的喊声）嗨！

hey

in (one's) heyday

In, at, or during the period of one's greatest success, power, vigor, etc. In my heyday as a stock broker, I was making millions of dollars each year, but when the economy crashed, I lost nearly everything.

what the hey

slang Why not? An aside used to emphasize one's nonchalance toward something. Often used as a euphemism for "what the hell." Sure, I'm not doing anything today, let's go to the beach—what the hey? What the hey, I'll go to the movies with you tonight.See also: hey, what

hey presto

interjection A phrase said when doing or producing something very quickly or easily. Primarily heard in UK. All I need to do is reconfigure your IP address and... hey presto! Your connection is back to normal. See? We just cut the folded piece of paper in a few spots, unfold the whole thing and, hey presto—a snowflake!See also: hey, presto

hey, Rube

A call for help. It originated among members of traveling circuses in the late 19th century. The carnival performer yelled out, "Hey, Rube!" as the unruly crowd advanced on him.See also: rube

but hey

A phrase used to downplay or contradict a previous statement. I'm kind of busy right now, but hey, I always have time for you. What's up? I thought we were supposed to be there at 8, but hey, what do I know?See also: but, hey

hey ˈpresto

(British English) (American English ˈpresto) people sometimes say hey presto when they have just done something so quickly and easily that it seems to have been done by magic: You just press the button and, hey presto, a perfect cup of coffee! Presto is an Italian word meaning ‘quick’ or ‘quickly’.See also: hey, presto

what the ˈhey!

(American English, spoken) it doesn’t matter; I don’t care: This is probably a bad idea, but what the hey!See also: what

But, hey

phr. a sentence opener used often to get attention and perhaps contradict a previous remark. A: Please don’t track sand all over the restaurant carpet! B: But, hey, it’s my vacation! See also: hey

Hey!

interj. hello. (Colloquial. A standard greeting in much of the South, and now heard everywhere.) Hey, Walter. How are you?

Hey, bum!

interj. hello. Hey, bum! So good to see your smiling face.

hey, Rube!

A rallying cry for assistance when trouble breaks out. The phrase began in the days of touring carnivals and circuses. A carnival or circus performer or stagehand who found himself in an argument or altercation with patrons or other outsiders yelled, “hey, Rube,” the signal for his colleagues to run and help him out. An item in the Chicago Tribune in 1882 explained that “a canvasman watching a tent is just like a man watching his home. He'll fight in a minute if the outsider cuts the canvas [to sneak in], and if a crowd comes to quarrel—he will yell, ‘Hey, Rube!' That's the circus rallying cry, and look out for war when you hear it.” “Rube” might have been the name of an actual person summoned for assistance, although another possibility is that “rube” referred, as it still does, to country bumpkins; that is, to members of rural carnival and circus audiences who were likely to start trouble.

HEY

Acronym	Definition
HEY➣Hull and East Yorkshire (UK city and district)
HEY➣Honoring Emancipated Youth (est. 1999; California)
HEY➣Healthy Early Years (UK)
HEY➣Help Empower Youth (Windham County Vermont Youth Services; Brattleboro, VT)
HEY➣Health and Education for Youth (St. Louis, MO)
HEY➣Henry Esson Young Building (Riverview Hospital; Canada)
HEY➣Hyperimmune Egg Yolk