hɑ:f n.,
adj., & adv. --n. (pl. halves) 1
either of
two equal or corresponding parts or groups
into which a
thing is or might be divided. 2 colloq. = half-back. 3 colloq. half a
pint,
esp. of
beer etc. 4 either of two equal periods of
play in sports. 5 colloq. a half-price
fare or
ticket, esp.
for a
child. 6
Golf a
score that is
the same as one's opponent's. --adj. 1 of an
amount or
quantity equal to a half, or loosely to a
part thought of as
roughly a half (take half the
men;
spent half the
time reading; half a pint; a half-pint; half-price). 2 forming a half (a half share). --adv. 1 (often in comb.) to the
extent of half;
partly (only half cooked; half-frozen; half-laughing). 2 to a
certain extent;
somewhat (esp. in
idiomatic phrases: half
dead; am half inclined to agree). 3 (in
reckoning time) by the amount of half (an
hour etc.) (half
past two). øat half cock see
COCK(1). by half (prec. by
too + adj.) excessively (too
clever by half). by
halves imperfectly or incompletely (never
does things by halves). half-and-half
being half
one thing
and half
another. half-back (in
some sports) a
player between the
forwards and full backs. half-baked 1 incompletely considered or planned. 2 (of
enthusiasm etc.)
only partly committed. 3
foolish. half the
battle see BATTLE. half-beak
any fish of the
family Hemirhamphidae
with the lower
jaw projecting
beyond the upper. half-binding a
type of bookbinding in which the
spine and corners are bound in one
material (usu. leather) and the sides in another. half-blood 1 a
person having one
parent in
common with another. 2
this relationship. 3 = half-breed. half-blooded
born from parents of
different races. half-blue
Brit. 1 a person
who has represented a
university, esp. Oxford or Cambridge, in a
sport but who has
not received a full blue. 2 this
distinction (see
BLUE(1) n. 3). half
board provision of
bed,
breakfast, and one main meal at a
hotel etc. half-boot a
boot reaching up to the calf. half-breed
often offens. a person of
mixed race. half-brother a
brother with only one parent in common. half-caste often offens. n. a person
whose parents are of different races, esp. the
offspring of a
European father and an
Indian mother. --adj. of or relating to
such a person. half a
chance colloq. the slightest
opportunity (esp.
given half a chance). half-crown (or half a crown) (in the UK) a former
coin and
monetary unit worth 2s. 6d. (12Ìp). half-cut Brit. sl.
fairly drunk. half-deck the quarters of cadets and apprentices on a
merchant vessel. half-dozen (or half a dozen) colloq.
six, or
about six. half-duplex see
DUPLEX. half an
eye the slightest
degree of perceptiveness. half-hardy (of a plant)
able to
grow in the
open air at
all times
except in
severe frost. half
hitch a
noose or knot formed by
passing the
end of a
rope round its standing part and
then through the
loop. half
holiday a
day of which half (usu. the afternoon) is taken as a holiday. half-hour 1 (also half an hour) a
period of 30 minutes. 2 a
point of time 30 minutes
after any hour o'clock. half-hourly at intervals of 30 minutes. half-hunter a
watch with a hinged
cover in which a
small opening allows
identification of the
approximate position of the hands. half-inch n. a unit of
length half as
large as an inch. --v.tr. rhymingsl.
steal (= pinch). half-integral equal to half an
odd integer. half-landing a
landing part of the
way up a flight of stairs, whose length is
twice the
width of the flight
plus the width of the well. half-lap the joining of rails, shafts,
etc., by halving the
thickness of
each at one end and
fitting them together. half-length a
canvas depicting a half-length
portrait. half-life
Physics & Biochem. etc. the time taken for the
radioactivity or some
other property of a
substance to
fall to half its
original value. half-light a
dim imperfect light. half-mast the position of a flag
halfway down the mast, as a mark of
respect for a person who has died. half measures an
unsatisfactory compromise or
inadequate policy. half a
mind see MIND. half
moon 1 the moon
when only half its illuminated
surface is
visible from
earth. 2 the time when this occurs. 3 a
semicircular object. half
nelson Wrestling see NELSON. half-note esp. US Mus. =
MINIM 1. the half of it colloq. the rest or
more important part of
something (usu. after
neg.:
you don't
know the half of it). half pay reduced
income, esp. on
retirement. half-pie NZ sl. imperfect,
mediocre. half-plate 1 a photographic
plate 16.5 by 10.8
cm. 2 a
photograph reproduced from this. half-seas-over Brit. sl. partly drunk. half-sister a
sister with only one parent in common. half-sole the sole of a boot or
shoe from the
shank to the
toe. half-sovereign a former
British gold coin and monetary unit worth
ten shillings (50p). half-step Mus. a
semitone. half-term Brit. a period about halfway through a school
term, when a
short holiday is usually taken. half-timbered Archit. having walls with a
timber frame and a
brick or
plaster filling. half-time 1 the time at which half of a game or
contest is completed. 2 a short
interval occurring at this time. half the time see TIME. half-title 1 the
title or short title of a
book, printed on the
recto of the
leaf preceding the title-page. 2 the title of a
section of a book printed on the recto of the leaf preceding
it. half-tone 1 a
reproduction printed from a
block (produced by photographic means) in which the
various tones of
grey are produced from small and large
black dots. 2 US Mus. a semitone. half-track 1 a
propulsion system for
land vehicles with wheels at the
front and an
endless driven belt at the
back. 2 a
vehicle equipped with this. half-truth a
statement that (esp. deliberately) conveys only part of the
truth. half-volley (pl. -eys) (in ball games) the playing of a ball as
soon as it bounces
off the ground. half-yearly at intervals of six months. not half 1 not
nearly (not half long enough). 2 colloq. not at all (not half bad). 3 Brit. sl. to an
extreme degree (he didn't half
get angry). [OE half, healf f. Gmc, orig. = 'side']