Chapter Hawse-hole to Heart of H by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

is to a person immersed in water. The French phrase is "Avoir des dettes pardessus la tête. "

Head and Shoulders A phrase of sundry shades of meaning. Thus "head and shoulders taller" means considerably tall; to turn one out head and shoulders means to drive one out forcibly and without ceremony.

Head of Cattle Cattle are counted by the head; manufacturing labourers by hands, as "How many hands do you employ?" horses by the nose (See Nose); guests at dinner by the cover, as "Covers for ten," etc. (See Numbers, Hand.)
    In contracting for meals the contractor takes the job at so much "a head" - i.e. for each person.

Head over Heels (To turn). To place the hands upon the ground and throw the legs upwards so as to describe half a circle.

Heads or Tails Guess whether the coin tossed up will come down with headside uppermost or not. The side not bearing the head has various devices, sometimes Britannia, sometimes George and the Dragon, sometimes a harp, sometimes the royal arms, sometimes an inscription, etc. These devices are all included in the word tail, meaning opposite to the head. The ancient Romans used to play this game, but said, "Heads or ships."

"Cum puerl denarios in sublime jactantes, `capita aut navia,' lusu teste vetustatis exclamant." - Macrobius Saturnalia, i. 7.

   Neither head nor tail. Nothing consistent. "I can make neither head nor tail of what you say," i.e. I cannot bolt the matter to the bran.

Heads I Win, Tails you Lose In tossing up a coin, with such an arrangement, the person who makes the bargain must of necessity win, and the person who accepts it must inevitably lose.

Heady wilful; affecting the head, as "The wine or beer is heady." (German, heftig, ardent, strong, self- willed.)

Healing Gold Gold given to a king for "healing" the king's evil, which was done by a touch.

Health Your health. The story is that Vortigern was invited to dine at the house of Hengist, when Rowena, the host's daughter, brought a cup of wine which she presented to their royal guest, saying, "Was hæ'l, hlaford cyning " (Your health, lord king). (See Wassail.)
   William of Malmesbury says the custom took its rise from the death of young King Edward the Martyr, who was traitorously stabbed in the back while drinking a cup of wine presented to him by his mother Elfrida.
   Drinking healths. The Romans adopted a curious fashion of drinking the health of their lady-loves, and that was to drink a bumper to each letter of her name. Hudibras satirises this custom, which he calls "spelling names with beer-glasses" (part ii. chap. 1).

"Nævia sex cyathis, septem Justina bibatur,
Quinque Lycas, Lyde quatuor, Ida tribus."
Martial, i. 72.
Three cups to Amy, four to Kate be given,
To Susan five, six Rachel, Bridget seven.
E. C. B.

Heap Struck all of a heap. To be struck with astonishment. "Etre ahuri. " The idea is that of confusion, having the wits bundled together in a heap.

Hear To hear as a hog in harvest. In at one ear and out at the other; hear without paying attention. Giles Firmin says, "If you call hogs out of the harvest stubble, they will just lift up their heads to listen, and fall to their shack again." (Real Christian, 1670.)

Hearse (1 syl.) means simply a harrow. Those harrows used in Roman Catholic churches (or frames with spikes) for holding candles are called in France herses. These frames at a later period were covered with a canopy, and lastly were mounted on wheels.

Heart A variety of the word core. (Latin, cord', the heart; Greek, kard'; Sanskrit, herd'; Anglo-Saxon, heorte.)
   Heart (in Christian art), the attribute of St. Theresa.
   The flaming heart (in Christian art), the symbol