hair /hār/

1. A filament growing from the skin of an animal
2. An outgrowth of the epidermis of a plant
3. A fibre
4. A mass or aggregate of hairs, esp that covering the human head
5. Anything very small and fine
6. A hair's-breadth
7. Type or character (obsolete)
8. A locking spring or other safety contrivance in a firearm

1. To free from hair
2. To provide hair for

haired adjective

(usu as combining form) signifying having hair (of a specified type, length, etc)

hairˈiness noun

hairˈless adjective

1. Having no hair
2. Very angry (slang)
3. Desperate (slang)

hairˈlessness noun

hairˈlike adjective

hairˈy adjective (hair'ier; hair'iest)

1. Of or like hair
2. Covered with hair
3. Dangerous, risky, frightening (informal)

hairˈ-ball noun

A concretion of hair in the stomach, eg in cats as a result of swallowing fur, etc during grooming

hairˈband noun

A band, usu of or incorporating elastic material, worn over the hair to confine it, or for decoration

hairˈbell same as harebell (see under hare).

hairˈ-brained adjective same as hare-brained (see under hare).

hairbreadth see hair's-breadth below.

hairˈbrush noun

A brush for the hair

hairˈcloth noun

Coarse cloth made from horsehair, used in upholstery, etc

hairˈcut noun

1. A cutting of the hair or the style in which this is done
2. A proportion of the value of an asset paid to the broker when the asset is used as collateral in a transaction (stock exchange sl)

hairˈdo noun (pl hairˈdos) (informal)

A way in which someone's (usu a woman's) hair is styled

hairˈdresser noun

1. Someone whose occupation is the cutting, colouring, arranging, etc of hair
2. A barber

hairˈdressing noun

1. A lotion, etc for the hair
2. The art or occupation of a hairdresser

hairˈdryer or hairˈdrier noun

Any of various types of hand-held or other apparatus producing a stream of warm air for drying the hair

hairˈ-eel noun

A hairworm

hair extension noun

A length of human or artificial hair attached to the wearer's own hair to create a longer or fuller style

hair gel see gel¹

hairˈ-grass noun

A genus (Aira) of narrow-stemmed coarse grasses (perhaps only a modification of the generic name)

hair grip or hairˈgrip noun

A short, narrow band of metal, bent double, worn in the hair, to keep it in place

hairˈline noun

1. A line made of hair
2. A very fine line in writing, type, etc
3. A finely striped cloth
4. The edge of the hair on the forehead

adjective

1. (of eg a crack) very thin
2. Also figurative

hairˈnet noun

A net for keeping (usu a woman's) hair in place

hair oil noun

A scented oil for dressing the hair

hairˈ-pencil noun

A fine paint-brush

hairˈpiece noun

A length of false hair, or a wig covering only part of the head

hairˈpin noun

A U-shaped pin for fastening up the hair

adjective

Narrowly U-shaped, as a sharp bend on a road

hairˈ-powder noun

Powdered starch formerly dusted on the hair or wig

hairˈ-raiser noun

A tale of terror

hairˈ-raising adjective

Very exciting, terrifying

hair restorer noun

A preparation claimed to make hair grow on bald places

hair'sˈ-breadth or hairˈbreadth noun

1. The breadth of a hair
2. A minute distance

adjective

(of an escape, etc) extremely narrow

hair seal noun

A sea-lion, or eared seal with coarse hair only

hair shirt noun

1. A penitent's garment of haircloth
2. An intimate or secret affliction (figurative)

hair slide noun

A hinged clasp, often decorative, worn in the hair, esp by young girls

hair space noun (printing)

The thinnest metal space used by compositors, or its equivalent in photocomposition

hairˈ-splitter noun

A maker of over-fine distinctions

hairˈ-splitting noun and adjective

hairˈspray noun

Lacquer sprayed on the hair to hold it in place

hairˈspring noun

A slender spring regulating a watch balance

hairˈstreak noun

Any butterfly of several genera with a fine white band under the wing

hair stroke noun

A hairline in penmanship

hairˈstyle noun

A particular way of cutting and arranging the hair

hairˈstylist noun

hairˈ-tail noun

A fish of the family Trichiuridae, with a whiplike tail

hair trigger noun

A trigger, responding to very light pressure, that releases the hair of a gun

hairˈ-trigger adjective

1. Having a hair trigger
2. Responding to the slightest stimulus

hairˈ-wave noun

A wavelike appearance artificially given to hair

hairˈ-waver noun

hairˈ-waving noun

hairˈ-work noun

Work done or something made with (esp human) hair

hairˈworm noun

A worm, like a horsehair, which when young lives in the bodies of insects

hairy Mary noun (angling)

A kind of artificial fly

against the hair (archaic)

1. Against the grain
2. Contrary to inclination

a hair of the dog (that bit him or her, etc)

1. A smaller dose of that which caused the trouble
2. A morning drink of the alcohol that caused the hangover as a cure for it, taken as a homeopathic dose

by the short hairs or (informal) by the short and curlies

In a powerless position, at someone's mercy

get in someone's hair (informal)

To become a source of irritation to someone

keep one's hair on (informal)

To keep calm

let one's hair down

To forget reserve and speak or behave freely

lose one's hair

To grow angry

make someone's hair curl

To shock someone extremely

make someone's hair stand on end

To frighten or astonish someone greatly

not turn a hair

1. (of a horse) to show no sweat
2. Not to be ruffled or disturbed

put up one's hair

To dress the hair up on the head instead of wearing it hanging, once the mark of passage from girlhood to womanhood

split hairs

To make superfine distinctions

tear one's hair (out)

To display frenzied grief or (informal) great irritation

to a hair or to the turn of a hair

Exactly, with perfect nicety

• jollyheads
• jollying
• jollyings
• Jolly Roger
• Jolly Rogers
• jols
• jolt
• jolted
• jolter
• jolterhead
• jolterheads
• jolters
• jolthead
• joltheads
• joltier
• joltiest
• jolting
• joltingly
• jolts
• jolty
• jomo
• Jon.
• Jonah
• Jonah word
• lubricates