hair — ONAD · Shobdo

hair /her, hɛr

▸ noun

1 any of the fine threadlike strands growing from the skin of humans, mammals, and some other animals:

coarse outer hairs overlie the thick underfur

thick black hairs on his huge arms.

▪ a fine threadlike strand growing from the epidermis of a plant, or forming part of a living cell:

scalloped leaves edged with silver hairs

it damages the cilia, tiny hairs that clear invading bacteria from the lung.

2 hairs collectively, especially those growing on a person's head:

a woman with shoulder-length fair hair

[as modifier] a hair salon.

3 (a hair) a very small quantity or extent:

his magic takes him a hair above the competition.

– PHRASES
hair of the dog informal
an alcoholic drink taken to cure a hangover.

[from hair of the dog that bit you, formerly recommended as a remedy for the bite of a mad dog.]

in someone's hair informal
annoying or causing inconvenience to someone.out of someone's hair informal
not or no longer annoying or causing inconvenience to someone:

can you keep the kids out of my hair this afternoon?

I'm glad he's out of my hair.

let one's hair down informal
behave in an uninhibited or relaxed way:

let your hair down and just have some fun.

make someone's hair stand on end
alarm or horrify someone:

any kind of siren makes my hair stand on end.

not a hair out of place
used to convey that a person is extremely neat and tidy in appearance:

she was perfectly made up with not a hair out of place.

not turn a hair
remain apparently unmoved or unaffected:

the old woman didn't turn a hair; she just sat quietly rocking.

split hairs
make small and unnecessary distinctions:

this may seem like splitting hairs but the distinction could be important.

put hair on one's chest informal
(of an alcoholic drink) be very strong.

– DERIVATIVES
hairlike

– ORIGIN Old English hǣr, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch haar and German Haar.