Synonyms

high and dry

[hahy] Origin

high

[hahy] adjective, high·er, high·est, adverb, high·er, high·est, noun
adjective
1.
having a great or considerable extent or reach upward or vertically; lofty; tall: a high wall.
2.
having a specified extent upward: The apple tree is now 20 feet high.
3.
situated above the ground or some base; elevated: a high platform; a high ledge.
4.
exceeding the common degree or measure; strong; intense: high speed; high color.
5.
expensive; costly; dear: The price of food these days is much too high.
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6.
exalted in rank, station, eminence, etc.; of exalted character or quality: a high official; high society.
7.
Music.
a.
acute in pitch.
b.
a little sharp, or above the desired pitch.
8.
produced by relatively rapid vibrations; shrill: the high sounds of crickets.
9.
extending to or from an elevation: a high dive.
10.
great in quantity, as number, degree, or force: a high temperature; high cholesterol.
11.
Religion.
a.
chief; principal; main: the high altar of a church.
b.
High Church.
12.
of great consequence; important; grave; serious; the high consequences of such a deed; high treason.
13.
haughty; arrogant: He took a high tone with his subordinates.
14.
advanced to the utmost extent or to the culmination: high tide.
15.
elevated; merry or hilarious: high spirits; a high old time.
16.
rich; extravagant; luxurious: They have indulged in high living for years.
17.
Informal. intoxicated with alcohol or narcotics: He was so high he couldn't stand up.
18.
remote: high latitude; high antiquity.
19.
extreme in opinion or doctrine, especially religious or political: a high Tory.
20.
designating or pertaining to highland or inland regions.
21.
having considerable energy or potential power.
22.
Automotive. of, pertaining to, or operating at the gear transmission ratio at which the speed of the engine crankshaft and of the drive shaft most closely correspond: high gear.
23.
Phonetics. (of a vowel) articulated with the upper surface of the tongue relatively close to some portion of the palate, as the vowels of eat and it, which are high front, and those of boot and put, which are high back. Compare close (def. 53), low1 (def. 30).
24.
(of meat, especially game) tending toward a desirable or undesirable amount of decomposition; slightly tainted: He likes his venison high.
25.
Metallurgy. containing a relatively large amount of a specified constituent (usually used in combination): high-carbon steel.
26.
Baseball. (of a pitched ball) crossing the plate at a level above the batter's shoulders: The pitch was high and outside.
27.
Cards.
a.
having greater value than other denominations or suits.
b.
able to take a trick; being a winning card.
c.
being or having a winning combination: Whose hand is high?
28.
Nautical. noting a wind of force 10 on the Beaufort scale, equal to a whole gale.
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adverb
29.
at or to a high point, place, or level.
30.
in or to a high rank or estimate: He aims high in his political ambitions.
31.
at or to a high amount or price.
32.
in or to a high degree.
33.
luxuriously; richly; extravagantly: They have always lived high.
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34.
Nautical. as close to the wind as is possible while making headway with sails full.
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High and dry is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
noun
35.
Automotive. high gear: He shifted into high when the road became level.
36.
Informal. high school.
37.
Meteorology. a pressure system characterized by relatively high pressure at its center. Compare anticyclone, low1 (def. 46).
38.
a high or the highest point, place, or level; peak: a record high for unemployment.
39.
Slang.
a.
a euphoric state induced by alcohol, drugs, etc.
b.
a period of sustained excitement, exhilaration, or the like: After winning the lottery he was on a high for weeks.
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40.
Cards. the ace or highest trump out, especially in games of the all fours family.
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41.
fly high, to be full of hope or elation: His stories began to sell, and he was flying high.
42.
high and dry,
a.
(of a ship) grounded so as to be entirely above water at low tide.
b.
in a deprived or distressing situation; deserted; stranded: We missed the last bus and were left high and dry.
43.
high and low, in every possible place; everywhere: The missing jewelry was never found, though we searched high and low for it.
44.
high on, Informal. enthusiastic or optimistic about; having a favorable attitude toward or opinion of.
45.
on high,
a.
at or to a height; above.
b.
in heaven.
c.
having a high position, as one who makes important decisions: the powers on high.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English heigh, variant of hegh, hey, heh, Old English hēah, hēh; cognate with Dutch hoog, Old High German hoh (German hoch), Old Norse hār, Swedish hög, Gothic hauhs, Lithuanian kaũkas swelling, kaukarà hill

o·ver·high, adjective
o·ver·high·ly, adverb

1. hi, hie, high (see synonym note at the current entry); 2. higher, hire (see synonym note at hire).


1. High, lofty, tall, towering refer to something that has considerable height. High is a general term, and denotes either extension upward or position at a considerable height: six feet high; a high shelf. Lofty denotes imposing or even inspiring height: lofty crags. Tall is applied either to something that is high in proportion to its breadth, or to anything higher than the average of its kind: a tall tree, building. Towering is applied to something that rises to a great or conspicuous height as compared with something else: a towering mountain. 6. elevated, eminent, prominent, distinguished. 12. capital.


1. low.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To high and dry
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

high
O.E. heh (Anglian), heah (W.Saxon) "of great height, lofty, tall, exalted," from P.Gmc. *kaukhaz (cf. O.S. hoh, O.N. har, Dan. høi, Swed. hög, O.Fris. hach, Du. hoog, O.H.G. hoh, Ger. hoch, Goth. hauhs "high;" also Ger. Hügel "hill," O.N. haugr "mound"), from PIE *koukos (cf. Lith.
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kaukara "hill"). Spelling with -gh represents a final guttural sound, lost since 14c. Meaning "euphoric or exhilarated from alcohol" is first attested 1620s, of drugs, first recorded 1932. Sense of "proud, haughty, supercilious" (c.1200) is reflected in high hand (late 14c.) and high horse (see horse). High seas first attested late 14c., with sense (also found in the L. cognate) of "deep" as well as "tall" (cf. also O.Pers. baran "height, depth"). High-class (adj.) is from 1864. To high-tail "move quickly" is slang attested by 1890, from cattle ranches (animals fleeing with elevated tails). Highlands "mountainous district of Scotland" first recorded early 15c. High-roller "extravagant spender" is from 1881. Your Highness as a form of address to English royalty is attested from c.1400.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

high definition


  1. mod.
    alcohol or drug intoxicated. : They went out for the evening to get high, and for no other reason.
  2. n.
    a state of euphoria caused by drugs or alcohol. : His life is nothing but one high after another.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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high and dry definition


  1. mod.
    abandoned; unsupported. (Like a ship beached or stranded ashore.) : Here I sit high and dry—no food, no money, no nothing.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

high and dry

Stranded, as in They walked out on the party, leaving me high and dry. This expression originally alluded to a ship that had run aground or was in dry dock. Its figurative use dates from the late 1800s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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