HABERGEON, coat of mail.
HAGGARD, wild female hawk; hence coy, wild.
HALBERD, combination of lance and battle-axe.
HALL, "a --!" a cry to clear the room for the dancers.
HANDSEL, first money taken.
HANGER, loop or strap on a sword-belt from which the sword was suspended.
HAP, fortune, luck.
HAPPILY, haply.
HAPPINESS, appropriateness, fitness.
HAPPY, rich.
HARBOUR, track, trace (an animal) to its shelter.
HARD-FAVOURED, harsh-featured.
HARPOCRATES, Horus the child, son of Osiris, figured with a finger pointing to his mouth, indicative of silence.
HARRINGTON, a patent was granted to Lord H. for the coinage of tokens (q.v.).
HARROT, herald.
HARRY NICHOLAS, founder of a community called the "Family of Love."
HAY, net for catching rabbits, etc.
HAY! (Ital. hai!), you have it (a fencing term).
HAY IN HIS HORN, ill-tempered person.
HAZARD, game at dice; that which is staked.
HEAD, "first --," young deer with antlers first sprouting; fig. a newly-enn.o.bled man.
HEADBOROUGH, constable.
HEARKEN AFTER, inquire; "hearken out," find, search out.
HEARTEN, encourage.
HEAVEN AND h.e.l.l ("Alchemist"), names of taverns.
HECTIC, fever.
HEDGE IN, include.
HELM, upper part of a retort.
HER"NSEW, hernshaw, heron.
HIERONIMO (JERONIMO), hero of Kyd"s "Spanish Tragedy."
HOBBY, nag.
HOBBY-HORSE, imitation horse of some light material, fastened round the waist of the morrice-dancer, who imitated the movements of a skittish horse.
HODDY-DODDY, fool.
HOIDEN, hoyden, formerly applied to both s.e.xes (ancient term for leveret? Gifford).
HOLLAND, name of two famous chemists.
HONE AND HONERO, wailing expressions of lament or discontent.
HOOD-WINK"D, blindfolded.
HORARY, hourly.
HORN-MAD, stark mad (quibble).
HORN-THUMB, cut-purses were in the habit of wearing a horn shield on the thumb.
HORSE-BREAD-EATING, horses were often fed on coa.r.s.e bread.
HORSE-COURSER, horse-dealer.
HOSPITAL, Christ"s Hospital.
HOWLEGLAS, Eulenspiegel, the hero of a popular German tale which relates his buffooneries and knavish tricks.
HUFF, hectoring, arrogance.
HUFF IT, swagger.
HUISHER (Fr. huissier), usher.
HUM, beer and spirits mixed together.
HUMANITIAN, humanist, scholar.
HUMOROUS, capricious, moody, out of humour; moist.