"H" Slang

hang time

General

The length of time a player appears to hang in the air after leaping, especially on dunks or layups.

hang up

General

When the rear wheel or peg unexpectedly catches on the coping or lip of a ramp as the rider tries to come out, often causing a fall or a punctured tire. Hang-ups are a common cause of transition crashes.

hangar queen

General

An aircraft so frequently out of service that it sits in the hangar and is cannibalized to keep other aircraft flying.

hanger

General

The main triangular part of a truck that houses the axle and pivots when the rider turns; it is the part that contacts the obstacle during grinds.

hangi

General

A traditional Māori method of cooking food using heated stones in a covered pit, and the meal produced by it.

hangin'

General

Disgusting, vile, nasty to look at or be near. Applied to dodgy kebabs, club toilets, hangovers, exes and anything else that's turning your stomach. The Manc go-to when 'minging' won't quite cover it.

hanging

General

Properly hungover. Not 'a bit fragile' — pale, sweating, regretting every decision. Big in Welsh and Irish English. Can stretch to mean 'feeling rough' in general, or 'looking rough' (covers both how you feel and how the rest of the world sees it).

hangry

Internet

Used affectionately to excuse cranky behavior pre-meal.

hank marvin

General

A lighthearted way to announce it's time to eat.

hankering

General

A persistent desire or yearning, especially for food. "A hankering for" something.

haporth

General

A daft article, a soft lad, someone not worth a halfpenny. Mild insult, often affectionate — your nan calls you a daft haporth when you forget your coat.

happy as a pig in slop

General

Thoroughly happy and satisfied, like a hog wallowing in mud.

happy juice

General

Nursing slang for intravenous analgesia or a narcotic sedative cocktail given to ease pain or calm a patient.

hard

Music

A one-word affirmation of strong agreement, short for 'hard out'.

hard breach

Gaming

A reinforced wall is bulletproof and won't budge to normal explosives. A hard breach is the operator or charge that destroys it anyway, opening a brand new angle into site. In Siege it's a must-pick on most attacks.

hard carry

Gaming

To single-handedly win the game while your teammates contribute next to nothing. A hard carry pops off so hard the rest of the team are basically passengers.

hard case

General

An amusing, quick-witted or eccentric person; a real character.

hard cc

Gaming

The heavy stuff. Stuns, roots, knockups, suppressions, anything that takes total control of an enemy for a beat. Land hard CC on the right target and the fight's basically over.

hard charger

General

Cynically or affectionately, an over-eager, enthusiastic, and highly motivated service member who throws themselves at every task.

hard count

General

A tactic in which the quarterback shouts the signals forcefully or unpredictably to bait the defense into jumping across the line before the snap.

hard launch

Internet

To post a clear, undeniable photo or announcement confirming you're in a relationship.

hard launch relationship

Internet

A partnership that skips the subtle soft-launch phase and is announced directly and clearly to everyone at once, leaving no doubt about who the couple is.

hard limit

General

A hard limit is an absolute no. It's the activity you will not do under any circumstances, with anyone, ever — off the table before negotiation even starts. Could be a specific act, a body area, a theme, anything. The deal is simple: hard limits are stated up front and respected without argument. Pushing someone past a hard limit isn't kink, it's a violation. Contrast with a soft limit, which has more give to it.

hard open

Music

To run in the moment a festival or venue's doors open, racing to grab the best front spot before anyone else.

hard out

General

An expression of emphatic agreement, or an adverb meaning 'intensely' or 'flat out'.

hard stan

Internet

A fan whose fandom style leans into an idol's attractive, edgy, or impressive side, often with more intense or thirsty energy. Contrasted with a soft stan.

hard stop

General

A non-negotiable time at which someone has to leave or a meeting must end.

hard support

Gaming

The team's backbone with the team's smallest wallet. Hard support keeps vision up, protects the carry through the laning phase, and spends what little gold they get on wards and saves rather than items. Thankless, essential.

hard-ears

General

Describing someone, often a child, who won't heed warnings. Tied to the proverb 'hard-ears yuh won' hear'.

hardballing

Internet

Hardballing is stating your relationship intentions clearly and honestly from the beginning, refusing to play games about what you're looking for.

hardflip

General

A technical flip trick combining a kickflip with a frontside shove-it, causing the board to flip up through the rider's legs. Considered harder than a varial flip, hence the name.

hardgainer

General

A person, often with a fast metabolism, who finds it very hard to add muscle and bodyweight even when training and eating a lot.

hardmaxxing

Internet

The extreme, invasive end of looksmaxxing — cosmetic surgery, steroid use, hair transplants — as opposed to everyday habits.

hardrock

General

A career criminal who isn't going straight and isn't pretending to. Usually big, violent, and known on the yard — the guy weaker inmates step around. Distinct from a 'bunk warrior' because a hardrock actually backs it up.

hardscope

Gaming

Sitting scoped in on a sniper, waiting for someone to walk into your crosshair, rather than scoping in and out fast. Patient, steady, deadly on long sightlines.

hardstuck

Gaming

Loosely, plateaued and unable to improve at any skill-based pursuit.

harem

Internet

A genre and trope in which a single central character (usually a boy) is surrounded by a group of characters who are romantically interested in them. A 'reverse harem' flips the genders.

harry pottered

Gaming

In Fortnite, when you end up stuck beneath someone's stairs and walls with no way out. They've got high ground, you've got a trap with your name on it. It's over.

hash

Street

A concentrate made by separating and pressing the resin trichomes of cannabis into a paste or block.

hash hole

Street

A premium joint rolled with a line of hash or concentrate running through its center for a stronger hit.

hash oil

Street

A thick, potent cannabis concentrate extracted as an oil, used for dabbing, vaping or adding to joints; an early umbrella term for extracts.

hashish

Street

A potent concentrate produced by collecting and compressing the resin glands of cannabis.

hasselhoff

General

ER shorthand for the patient whose injury comes with a backstory so improbable it has to be true — or at least entertaining. Named after David Hasselhoff, who allegedly turned up at A&E having hit his head on a chandelier while shaving. Coined by London medics and recorded in mid-2000s slang glossaries.

haste ye back

General

A warm farewell wishing someone a swift return.

hat-trick

General

When one player scores three goals in the same game; a perfect hat-trick uses left foot, right foot and head.

haud

General

To hold or keep; 'haud on' means wait, 'haud yer wheesht' means be quiet.

haugh

General

Flat land beside a river; pronounced 'hoff' or 'harf'.

haunting

Internet

The lingering social-media presence of someone who ghosted you, like watching all your stories or liking old posts without ever actually reaching out.