Chapter Hackamore to Hæmatosac of H by Webster's Dictionary (1913 Edition)

3. A carriage kept for hire; a hack; a hackney coach.

4. A hired drudge; a hireling; a prostitute.

Hackney
(Hack"ney), a. Let out for hire; devoted to common use; hence, much used; trite; mean; as, hackney coaches; hackney authors. "Hackney tongue." Roscommon.

Hackney
(Hack"ney), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Hackneyed (-nid); p. pr. & vb. n. Hackneying.]

1. To devote to common or frequent use, as a horse or carriage; to wear out in common service; to make trite or commonplace; as, a hackneyed metaphor or quotation.

Had I so lavish of my presence been,
So common-hackneyed in the eyes of men.

Shak.

2. To carry in a hackney coach. Cowper.

Hackneyman
(Hack"ney*man) n.; pl. Hackneymen A man who lets horses and carriages for hire.

Hackster
(Hack"ster) n. [From Hack to cut.] A bully; a bravo; a ruffian; an assassin. [Obs.] Milton.

Hacqueton
(Hac"que*ton) n. Same as Acton. [Obs.]

Had
(Had) imp. & p. p. of Have. [OE. had, hafde, hefde, AS. hæfde.] See Have.

Had as lief, Had rather, Had better, Had as soon, etc., with a nominative and followed by the infinitive without to, are well established idiomatic forms. The original construction was that of the dative with forms of be, followed by the infinitive. See Had better, under Better.

And lever me is be pore and trewe.
[And more agreeable to me it is to be poor and true.]

C. Mundi

Him had been lever to be syke.
[To him it had been preferable to be sick.]

Fabian.

For him was lever have at his bed's head
Twenty bookes, clad in black or red, . . .
Than robes rich, or fithel, or gay sawtrie.

Chaucer.

Gradually the nominative was substituted for the dative, and had for the forms of be. During the process of transition, the nominative with was or were, and the dative with had, are found.

Poor lady, she were better love a dream.

Shak.

You were best hang yourself.

Beau. & Fl.

Me rather had my heart might feel your love
Than my unpleased eye see your courtesy.

Shak.

I hadde levere than my scherte,
That ye hadde rad his legende, as have I.

Chaucer.

I had as lief not be as live to be
In awe of such a thing as I myself.

Shak.

I had rather be a dog and bay the moon,
Than such a Roman.

Shak.

I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Ps. lxxxiv. 10.

Hadder
(Had"der) n. Heather; heath. [Obs.] Burton.

Haddie
(Had"die) n. (Zoöl.) The haddock. [Scot.]