His mantle hairy, and his bonnet sedge. --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
2. Very complicated, difficult, or involved; as, a hairy
problem; a hairy equation. [Colloq.]
[PJC]
3. Dangerous or frightening; as, a hairy encounter with a mugger. [PJC]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
hairy — [adj1] having much hair bearded, bewhiskered, bristly, bushy, downy, fleecy, flocculent, fluffy, furry, fuzzy, hirsute, lanate, pileous, piliferous, pilose, pubescent, rough, shaggy, stubbly, tufted, unshaven, unshorn, villous, whiskered, woolly; … New thesaurus
hairy — (adj.) early 14c., from HAIR (Cf. hair) + Y (Cf. y) (2). From 1848 in slang sense of difficult. Farmer calls this Oxford slang. Perhaps from the notion of rugged, rough. Related: Hairiness … Etymology dictionary
hairy — ► ADJECTIVE (hairier, hairiest) 1) covered with or resembling hair. 2) informal alarming and difficult. DERIVATIVES hairiness noun … English terms dictionary
hairy — [her′ē] adj. hairier, hairiest 1. covered with hair; hirsute 2. of or like hair ☆ 3. Slang difficult, distressing, harrowing, etc. hairiness n … English World dictionary
hairy — hair|y [ˈheəri US ˈheri] adj comparative hairier superlative hairiest 1.) a hairy person or animal has a lot of hair on their body ▪ a skinny guy with hairy legs ▪ a hairy caterpillar 2.) informal dangerous or frightening, often in a way that is… … Dictionary of contemporary English
hairy — [[t]he͟əri[/t]] hairier, hairiest 1) ADJ GRADED Someone or something that is hairy is covered with hairs. He was wearing shorts which showed his long, muscular, hairy legs... The plant has serrated and hairy leaves. Ant: hairless 2) ADJ GRADED If … English dictionary
hairy */ — UK [ˈheərɪ] / US [ˈherɪ] adjective Word forms hairy : adjective hairy comparative hairier superlative hairiest 1) with a lot of hair a hairy chest The leaves are soft and hairy. 2) informal frightening, or dangerous a hairy moment Derived word:… … English dictionary
hairy — hairiness, n. /hair ee/, adj., hairier, hairiest. 1. covered with hair; having much hair. 2. consisting of or resembling hair: moss of a hairy texture. 3. Informal. a. causing anxiety or fright: a hairy trip through the rapids. b. full of… … Universalium
hairy — hair|y [ heri ] adjective * 1. ) with a lot of hair: a hairy chest The leaves are soft and hairy. 2. ) INFORMAL frightening or dangerous: a hairy moment ╾ hair|i|ness noun uncount … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
hairy — I adj Dangerous, threatening. That was a hairy plane trip. I am glad the storm is over. 1960s II adj Crude, clumsy. Franklin made a hairy gesture and skiddooed. 1920s III adj Old, out dated. I m tired of listening to his hairy jokes that went out … Historical dictionary of American slang
