Chapter Hexapla to Highland Mary of H by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Higgledy-piggledy In great confusion; at sixes and sevens. A higgler is a pedlar whose stores are all huddled together. Higgledy means after the fashion of a higgler's basket; and piggledy is a ricochet word suggested by litter; as, a pig's litter.

High-born Of aristocratic birth; "D'une haute naissance;" "Summo loco natus."

High Church Those who believe the Church [of England] the only true Church; that its baptism is regeneration; and that its priests have the delegated power of absolution (on confession and promise of repentance).

High Days = festivals. On high days and holidays. Here "high" = grand or great; as, "un grand jour."

High Falutin or Hifaluten. Tall talk. (Dutch, verlooten, high-flown, stilted.)

"The genius of hifaluten, as the Americans call it ... has received many mortal wounds lately from the hands of satirists. ... A quizzical Jenkins lately described the dress of a New York belle by stating that `she wore an exquisite hyphaluten on her head, while her train was composed of transparent fol-de-rol, and her petticoat of crambambuli flounced with Brussels three-ply of A No. 1." - Hingston: Introduction to Josh Billings.

High Hand With a high hand. Arrogantly. To carry things with a high hand in French would be: "Faire une chose haut la main."

High Heels and Low Heels. The High and Low Church party. The names of two factions in Swift's tale of Lilliput. (Gulliver's Travels.)

High Horse To be on the high horse or To ride the high horse. To be over-bearing and arrogant. (For explanation see Horse, "To get upon your high horse.")

High Jinks He is at high jinks. The present use of the phrase expresses the idea of uproarious fun and jollity.

"The frolicsome company had begun to practise the ancient and now forgotten pastime of High Jinks. The game was played in several different ways. Most frequently the dice were thrown by the company, and those upon whom the lot fell were obliged to assume and maintain for a time a certain fictitious character, or to repeat a certain number of fescennine verses in a particular order. If they departed from the characters assigned ... they incurred forfeits, which were compounded for by swallowing an additional bumper." - Sir W. Scott: Guy Mannering, xxxvi.

High Life People of high life. The upper ten, the "haut monde."

High Places in Scripture language, means elevated spots where sacrifices were offered. Idolatrous worship was much carried on in high places. Some were evidently artificial mounds, for the faithful are frequently ordered to remove or destroy them. Hezekiah removed the high places (2 Kings xviii. 4), so did Asa (2 Chronicles xiv. 3), Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles xvii. 6), Josiah, and others. On the other hand, Jehoram and Ahaz made high places for idolatrous worship.

High Ropes To be on the high ropes. To be very grand and mighty in demeanour.

High Seas All the sea which is not the property of a particular country. The sea three miles out belongs to the adjacent coast, and is called mare clausum. High-seas, like high-ways, means for the public use. In both cases the word high means "chief," "principal." (Latin, allum, "the main sea;" altus, "high.")

High Tea The meal called tea served with cold meats, vegetables, and pastry, in substitution of dinner.

"A well-understood `high tea' should have cold roast beef at the top of the table, a cold Yorkshire pie at the bottom, a mighty ham in the middle. The side dishes will comprise soused mackerel, pickled salmon (in due season), sausages and potatoes, etc., etc. Rivers of tea, coffee, and ale, with dry and buttered toast, sally-lunns, scones, mufflins, and crumpets, jams and marmalade." - The Daily Telegraph, May 9th, 1893.

High Words Angry words.