Common American Phrases in Everyday Contexts (71 page)

Have you met
someone
?
a question asked when introducing someone to someone else. (The question need not be answered. The
someone
is usually a person's name.)
T
OM
: Hello, Mary. Have you met Fred? M
ARY
: Hello, Fred. Glad to meet you. F
RED
: Glad to meet you, Mary
.
T
OM
: Hey, Mary! Good to see you. Have you met Fred? M
ARY
: No, I don't believe I have. Hello, Fred. Glad to meet you. F
RED
: Hello, Mary.

Haven't got all day
.
Go to (I) haven't got all day.

Haven't I seen you somewhere before?
AND
Haven't we met before?
a polite way of trying to meet someone.
B
OB
: Hi. Haven't I seen you somewhere before? M
ARY
: I hardly think so
.
B
ILL
(moving toward Jane): Haven't we met before? J
ANE
(moving away from Bill): No way!

Haven't seen you in a long time
.
Go to (I) haven't seen you in a long time.

Haven't seen you in a month of Sundays
.
Go to (I) haven't seen you in a month of Sundays.

Haven't we met before?
Go to Haven't I seen you somewhere before?

Having a wonderful time; wish you were here
.
Go to (I'm) having a wonderful time; wish you were here.

Having quite a time
.
Go to I'm having quite a time.

Having the time of my life
.
Go to (I'm) having the time of my life.

Heads up
!
Look around! There is danger!
The load the crane was lifting swung over near the foreman. “Heads up!” shouted one of the workers, and the foreman just missed getting bonked on the head
.
Boxes were falling everywhere as the boat rolled back and forth in the storm. “Heads up!” called a sailor, and a big case of marmalade just missed my left shoulder.

Heavens
!
Go to (Good) heavens! See also (My) heavens!

hell on earth
a very unpleasant situation, as if one were in hell.
That man made my life hell on earth!
The whole time I was there was just hell on earth.

Hell with that
!
Go to (To) hell with that!

Hello
!
Just a minute!; What's this here? (A way of verbally responding to a surprise. The first syllable is higher in pitch than the second.)
Hello! Why is this rotten apple still in the refrigerator?
What do I smell. Hello! There's a dead mouse here in the closet.

Hell's bells (and buckets of blood)
!
an exclamation of anger or surprise.
A
LICE
: Your pants are torn in back. J
OHN
: Oh, hell's bells! What will happen next?
B
ILL
: Congratulations, you just flunked calculus. J
ANE
: Hell's bells and buckets of blood! What do I do now?