halfˈ-chance noun

A slight opportunity, esp to score in football

halfˈ-checked adjective (Shakespeare)

With reins attached halfway up the side-piece of the bit, giving little leverage

halfˈ-cheek noun (Shakespeare)

A face in profile

halfˈ-close noun (music)

An imperfect cadence

half-cockˈ noun

1. The position of the cock of a gun drawn back halfway and retained by the first notch (at half-cock only partially prepared)
2. A stroke made by playing neither forward nor back (cricket)

adverb

In that position

halfˈ-cockedˈ adjective

half-crownˈ noun

1. A coin worth half-a-crownˈ or two shillings and sixpence, from 1970 no longer legal tender
2. A sum of money equivalent to this (also adjective)

half-cutˈ adjective (informal)

Drunk

half-dayˈ noun

1. A holiday of half a working day
2. A day on which one works in the morning or afternoon only

half-deadˈ adjective (informal)

Very weary, exhausted

half-dollˈar noun

An American coin worth 50 cents (also adjective)

halfˈ-done adjective

1. Partly done
2. Partly cooked

halfˈ-door noun

The lower part of a divided door

half-dozˈen noun and adjective

Six

half-dūˈplex adjective (computing, telegraphy, etc)

Allowing communication or transmission in both directions, but not simultaneously

halfe-horsˈy adjective (Spenser)

(of the Centaurs) partly of the nature of horses

half-evˈergreen adjective

1. Having foliage that persists during part of winter
2. Tending to be evergreen in mild areas but deciduous where the climate is more rigorous

halfˈ-face noun

Profile

halfˈ-faced adjective (Shakespeare)

1. Showing only part of the face
2. Thin-faced

halfˈ-frame adjective

(of a photograph) taking up half the normal area of a frame

halfˈ-hardy adjective

Able to grow in the open air except in winter

half-heartˈed adjective

Lacking in zeal

half-heartˈedly adverb

half-heartˈedness noun

half hitch noun

A simple knot tied round an object

half-holˈiday noun

Half of a working day for recreation

half-hose see hose

half-hourˈ noun

1. A period of 30 minutes (also adjective)
2. A point marking such a period on a clock, etc

half-hourˈly adjective and adverb

At intervals of 30 minutes

half-hunter see hunter under hunt

half-inchˈ noun

Half of an inch of length

transitive verb (rhyming sl)

To pinch, steal

half-inˈteger noun

A number formed by the division of an odd integer by two

half-inˈtegral adjective

halfˈ-kirtle noun

A kind of jacket worn by women in the 16 and 17c

halfˈ-landing noun

A small landing at the bend of a staircase

halfˈ-leather noun

A half-binding for a book, with leather on back and corners

halfˈ-length noun

A portrait showing the upper part of the body

adjective

Of half the whole or ordinary length

halfˈ-life noun

The period of time in which activity of a radioactive substance falls to half its original value

halfˈ-light noun

1. Dim light
2. Twilight

halfˈ-loaf noun

A loaf of half the standard weight

half-marˈathon noun

A foot-race just over half the length of a marathon (21.243km, 13 miles 352 yards)

half mast noun

The position of a flag partly lowered, in respect for the dead or in signal of distress

half-mastˈ adverb and transitive verb

half measure noun

(often in pl) any means inadequate for the end proposed

half-milˈer noun

A runner specializing in races of 800 metres or half a mile

half-moonˈ noun

1. The moon at the quarters when half the disc is illuminated
2. Anything semicircular

half-mournˈing noun

1. Mourning attire less than deep or full mourning
2. The condition of having one black eye (slang)

half nelson see nelson

halfˈ-note noun (music; N American)

A minim

half-oneˈ noun (golf)

1. A handicap of one stroke every second hole
2. Same as half past one below

half pay noun

Reduced pay, as for an officer not on active service

halfˈ-pay adjective

On half pay

halfpenny /hāpˈni/ noun (pl halfpence /hāˈpəns/, or halfpennies /hāpˈniz/)

1. A coin worth half a penny, withdrawn from circulation in 1985
2. Its value
3. Anything very small (Shakespeare)

adjective

Valued at a halfpenny

halfpennyworth /hāpˈni-wûrth/ noun

(also hap'orth /hāpˈərth/) as much as is sold for a halfpenny or is worth a halfpenny

halfˈ-pie adjective (Maori pai good; NZ inf)

1. Not very good
2. Badly done

halfˈ-pike noun

1. A short-shafted pike
2. A spontoon

halfˈ-pint noun (slang)

A very small person

halfˈ-pipe noun

A U-shaped structure made of concrete or hard snow used by skateboarders or snowboarders in performing stunts

halfˈ-plate see plate

halfˈ-pound noun

Half a pound

adjective

Weighing half a pound

half-poundˈer noun

1. A fish or other thing weighing half a pound
2. A gun that fires a half-pound shot

half-priceˈ noun

A charge reduced to half

adjective and adverb

At half the usual price

half-roundˈ noun

A semicircle

adjective (Milton)

Semicircular

half-royˈal noun

A kind of millboard

half-seas-oˈver adjective and adverb

1. Halfway across the sea
2. Half-drunk (informal)

halfˈ-shell noun

One shell or valve of a bivalve

half-shiftˈ noun

A position of the hand in violin-playing giving notes a semitone above the open-string position

halfˈ-sister noun

A sister with whom one has only one parent in common

half-sizeˈ noun

Any size in clothes, etc halfway between two full sizes

halfˈ-sole noun

The part of a shoe-sole from the instep to the toe

half-soveˈreign noun

A gold coin worth half-a-sovˈereign or ten shillings

half-starvedˈ adjective

Very inadequately fed

half step noun (music; N American)

A semitone

halfˈ-sword noun

Fighting within half a sword's length, close fighting

half-termˈ noun

(a holiday taken at) the mid point of an academic term

halfˈ-text noun

Handwriting half the size of text (also adjective)

halfˈ-tide noun

The stage midway between flood and ebb

adjective

Uncovered at half-tide

half-timˈbered adjective

Built of a timber frame, with spaces filled in

half-timeˈ noun

1. Half of full or whole time
2. The middle of the whole time
3. A short break halfway through a game (sport)
4. (in industry) half the time usually worked

adjective /häf'/

At or for half-time

half-timˈer noun

Someone who works half the full time

halfˈ-tint noun

Intermediate tone, between light and dark

half-tiˈtle noun

1. A short title preceding the title page or before a section of a book
2. The page on which this appears

halfˈ-tone adjective

Representing light and shade photographically by dots of different sizes

noun

1. A half-tone illustration
2. A semitone (music)

halfˈ-track noun

A motor vehicle with wheels in front and caterpillar tracks behind (also adjective)

halfˈ-truth noun

1. A belief containing an element of truth
2. A statement conveying only part of the truth

half volley see volley

halfwayˈ (sometimes /häfˈwā/) adverb

1. Midway
2. At half the distance
3. Imperfectly
4. Slightly, barely (informal)

halfˈway adjective

Equidistant from two points

halfway house noun

1. Orig an inn, etc situated midway between two towns or points on a journey, etc
2. A midway point or state
3. A centre offering accommodation and rehabilitation to eg released prisoners, people recovering from mental illness, etc

half-wellington see wellington

halfˈwit noun

1. An idiot (informal)
2. A would-be wit (obsolete)

halfwittˈed adjective

1. Foolish, stupid (informal)
2. Mentally defective (obsolete)

halfˈ-year noun

Half of a year, six months

half-yearˈly adjective

Occurring or appearing every half-year

adverb

Twice a year

noun

A half-yearly publication

by half

By a long way

by halves

1. Incompletely
2. Half-heartedly

cry halves

To claim half

go halves

To share equally

half past one, two, etc, half after one, two, etc (informal)

Thirty minutes after one o'clock, two o'clock, etc

how the other half lives (facetious)

Other (esp richer or poorer) people's way of life

not half (slang)

1. Not moderately
2. Not even half
3. Not at all
4. Very much, exceedingly

one's other (or better) half

One's spouse or partner