hay

in (one's) heyday

In, at, or during the period of one's greatest success, power, vigor, etc. In my heyday as a stock broker, I was making millions of dollars each year, but when the economy crashed, I lost nearly everything.

between hay and grass

Unable to be easily categorized. Our inventory is between hay and grass—it will take weeks to summarize everything in the warehouse. Bill's interest in the position is between hay and grass—I still can't figure out what his motive is.See also: and, between, grass, hay

dance the antic hay

To lead a life of hedonism. The "hay" was a lively country dance that emerged in the 16th century. Bill doesn't even have a job! He just parties all the time, dancing the antic hay without a care in the world!See also: dance, hay

roll in the hay

A sexual encounter, often one considered casual. You know, you can try to get to know the girls you date before you have a roll in the hay.See also: hay, roll

what the hey

slang Why not? An aside used to emphasize one's nonchalance toward something. Often used as a euphemism for "what the hell." Sure, I'm not doing anything today, let's go to the beach—what the hey? What the hey, I'll go to the movies with you tonight.See also: hey, what

hit the hay

To get into bed and go to sleep. I have to get up early for work tomorrow, so I think I'd better hit the hay.See also: hay, hit

hit the sack

To get into bed and go to sleep. I have to get up early for work tomorrow, so I think I'd better hit the sack.See also: hit, sack

make hay

To take advantage; to make the most of an opportunity. Chicago better be careful about turnovers, or you can be sure the defending champs will make hay in those situations. We'll be able to make hay with so little traffic on the road.See also: hay, make

make hay while the sun shines

To take advantage of favorable conditions; to make the most of an opportunity when it is available. We finally have the full group assembled, so let's make hay while the sun shines and get this thing done. The skiing conditions won't be this good for another several months, so let's make hay while the sun shines.See also: hay, make, shine, sun, while

(and) that ain't hay

And that's significant. Often used in reference to an amount of money. He got a $5,000 bonus this year, and that ain't hay.See also: hay, that

hayburner

1. A old horse, particularly one that is a poor racehorse. Bring that hayburner back to the stables—it's not even worth racing him.2. slang Someone who smokes marijuana. I used to be a real hayburner in high school, but I stay away from pot these days.

hay head

slang Someone who uses marijuana. I used to be a real hay head in high school, but I stay away from pot these days.See also: hay, head

hayseed

An unsophisticated person, particularly from a rural place; a bumpkin. When I knew John, he was a total hayseed, but I guess he's converted to city life now.

hit the hay

and hit the sackFig. to go to bed. I have to go home and hit the hay pretty soon. Let's hit the sack. We have to get an early start in the morning.See also: hay, hit

Make hay while the sun shines.

Prov. If you have an opportunity to do something, do it before the opportunity expires. Jane: While my husband's out of town, I'm going to watch all the movies he wouldn't take me to see. Jane: Why not? Make hay while the sun shines.See also: hay, make, shine, sun, while

That ain't hay.

Inf. That is not a small amount of money. (The highly informal word ain't is built into the expression.) I paid forty dollars for it, and that ain't hay! Bob lost his wallet with $200 in it—and that ain't hay.See also: hay, that

hit the hay

Also, hit the sack. Go to bed, as in I usually hit the hay after the eleven o'clock news, or I'm tired, let's hit the sack. The first colloquial expression dates from the early 1900s, the variant from about 1940. See also: hay, hit

make hay while the sun shines

Take advantage of favorable circumstances, as in Car sales have finally improved so we're making hay while the sun shines. This expression alludes to optimum dry weather for cutting grass. [Early 1500s] See also: hay, make, shine, sun, while

roll in the hay

Sexual intercourse, as in The main character in the movie was always looking for a roll in the hay. This phrase alludes to secret lovemaking in a hayloft. [Slang; mid-1900s] See also: hay, roll

that ain't hay

That's a great deal, especially of money; also, that's important. For example, He's making ten thousand a month, and that ain't hay. Originally used to describe a sum of money that is large, this phrase was later extended to other circumstances, as in She married a titled lord, and that ain't hay. [Colloquial; first half of 1900s] See also: hay, that

and that ain't hay

AMERICAN, INFORMALPeople say and that ain't hay after an amount of money to emphasize that it is a large amount. For 13 out of the last 20 years Canadian bonds produced returns of more than 10%, and that ain't hay.See also: and, hay, that

make hay while the sun shines

If you make hay while the sun shines, you take advantage of a good situation which is not likely to last. With house prices at an all-time high, both property developers are making hay while the sun shines. You've got to make hay while the sun shines — and it doesn't shine long in a sporting life. Note: You can also just say that someone makes hay. The New Zealand media made hay with the issue.See also: hay, make, shine, sun, while

hit the sack

INFORMAL or

hit the hay

mainly AMERICAN, INFORMALIf someone hits the sack, they go to bed. We were tired, so we only half-unpacked the car and then hit the sack. Do you want me to take you up to your bed? Are you ready to hit the hay? Note: In the past, people sometimes used sacks and hay as bedding. See also: hit, sack

hit the hay

go to bed. informalSee also: hay, hit

make hay

make good use of an opportunity while it lasts. This is a shortened version of the proverb make hay while the sun shines , which dates from the mid 16th century. 1998 Simon Winchester The Surgeon of Crowthorne The British papers, always eager to vent editorial spleen on their transatlantic rivals, made hay with this particular aspect of the story. See also: hay, make

a roll in the hay (or the sack)

an act of sexual intercourse. informal 1998 Barbara Kingsolver The Poisonwood Bible He just treats me like his slave-girlfriend-housemaid, having a roll in the hay when he feels like it and then running off doing God knows what for months at a time. See also: hay, roll

hit the sack

go to bed. informalSee also: hit, sack

make hay while the ˈsun shines

(saying) make the best use of opportunities and favourable conditions while they last: Opportunities for starting your own business will never be better, so make hay while the sun shines and go and see your bank manager today.See also: hay, make, shine, sun, while

hit the ˈsack/ˈhay

(informal) go to bed: I think it’s time to hit the sack. Sack and hay both refer to simple beds. In the past a bed was often just a sack or piece of rough cloth with hay inside. Sailors in the navy also slept in hammocks (= a type of bed hung between two posts, etc.) similar to sacks.See also: hay, hit, sack

hay burner

1. n. a worthless racehorse; any old and worn-out horse. I went to a dude ranch, and they gave me an old hay burner to ride. 2. and hay head n. a marijuana smoker. (Drugs.) Some hay head was around trying to sell raffle tickets that looked handmade. See also: burner, hay

hay head

verbSee hay burnerSee also: hay, head

hayseed

n. a farmer; a rustic character, usually a male. I’m not just some hayseed fresh off the farm.

hit the hay

and hit the sack tv. to go to bed. Time to go home and hit the hay! Let’s hit the sack. We have to get an early start in the morning. See also: hay, hit

hit the sack

verbSee hit the haySee also: hit, sack

That ain’t hay!

exclam. That’s money, not something worthless. That car cost $40,000, and that ain’t hay! See also: that

make hay

To turn to one's advantage: The candidate's opponents made hay of the scandal.See also: hay, make

roll in the hay

Slang Sexual intercourse.See also: hay, roll

hit the hay/sack, to

Go to bed, go to sleep. The first expression dates from about 1900 and presumably alludes to a hayloft as a soft bed. A sports book of 1905 held it to be baseball players’ slang. The second term dates from World War II, although sack for “bed” originated in the U.S. Navy in the 1820s.See also: hay, hit

make hay while the sun shines

Take advantage of any good opportunity. This adage, dating from the early sixteenth century, alludes to the need for dry conditions in order to cut grass. R. C. Trench, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was quite specific about it (On the Lessons in Proverbs, 1852): “Make hay while the sun shines is truly English, and could have had its birth only under such variable skies as ours.”See also: hay, make, shine, sun, while

that ain't hay

That’s a lot; also, that’s important. This American colloquialism, with its ungrammatical “ain’t” for “isn’t,” dates from the first half of the 1900s and at first was used mainly to describe a large amount of money. It was used in this sense in the motion picture The Killers (1946), where a character says, “I’m out ten G’s and that ain’t hay for me these days.” But it was also extended to other matters. Thus, a 1994 television serial, Sally Jessy Raphaël, had it: “Seven husbands! That ain’t hay!”See also: hay, that

Hay

Hay,

river, c.530 mi (850 km) long, rising in several headstreams in NE British Columbia and NW Alta., Canada, and flowing generally NE through NW Alta., over Alexander Falls, and into Great Slave Lake. Its valley, a principal north-south route, is followed by a highway and a railroad.

hay,

wild or cultivated plants, chiefly grasses and legumes, mown and dried for use as livestock fodder. Hay is an important factor in cattle raising and is one of the leading crops of the United States. Alfalfa, timothy, and red clover are the principal hay crops. After mowing, the hay is left spread in the field or is stacked in windrows or in cocks for drying. It must dry quickly and uniformly; its nutritive value and palatability are reduced by overexposure to sunlight or rain, and unequal drying often results in loss of the leaves, which form two thirds of its feed value.

Hay

grass that has been mowed and dried to a moisture level of 15–17 percent or less; one of the basic feeds for ruminant farm animals during stabling. The nutritional value of hay depends on its botanical composition, the place the grass was grown, the time and method of harvesting, and the length and conditions of storage.

The following types of hay are distinguished: legumes, cereals, forbs, legume-cereals, legume-cereal-forbs, cereal-forbs, and legume-forbs. The nutritional value of plants in these groups differs, and therefore the quality of hay is determined by their quantitative ratios. The most valuable hay comes from such legumes as alfalfa, clover, common vetch, and bird’s-foot trefoil; such cereals as Kentucky bluegrass, meadow fescue, ryegrass, timothy, orchardgrass, and wheatgrass; and such forbs as prostrate knotweed and meadow salsify.

Hay made from coarse sedges, rushes, Saint-John’s-wort, ferns, and horsetails is low in nutritional value and virtually inedible. Hay made from plants raised in the steppe is generally richer in nutrients than hay from plants grown in swampy regions. Hay from grasses harvested in the early phases of development contains more nutrients and vitamins and is easier to digest than hay from grasses harvested in late stages. The best hay from legumes is obtained when the plants are mowed during budding or early flowering. The best cereal hays are made from grasses mown during ear formation. The nutritional value of hay is also affected by the leafiness of the plants, since the leaves have significantly more protein, fats, and mineral substances than the stems; the digestibility of these substances in the leaves is higher. The nutritional value of high-quality leguminous hay approaches that of concentrated feeds. One hundred kilograms contain approximately 50 feed units, 9.2 kg of digestible protein, 1,000–1,500 g of calcium, and 200–220 g of phosphorus. Leguminous hay also contains carotene, and vitamin B₁, vitamin B₂, and vitamin D. Hay from cereal grasses contains less protein and calcium; 100 kg of meadow hay averages 45.8 feed units, 4.9 kg of digestible protein, 600 g of calcium, and 210 g of phosphorus.

Hay is usually fed without any processing to cattle, sheep, and horses; hogs and poultry are fed hay meal or grass meal. The quality of hay is determined by evaluating its color, odor, dust content, and softness. High-quality hay is green. Late-harvested hay, hay that has lain in the sun for a long time, hay that has been rained on during the drying process, and hay that has undergone self-warming in stacks and shocks may be greenish yellow, yellow, pale white, light or dark brown, or dark cinnamon. Correctly harvested dry hay has a pleasant, fresh odor; hay sometimes takes on the distinctive odor of certain grasses (sweet vernal grass, wormwood). A musty and moldy odor appears when grass is dried in rainy weather and stored while too moist. The dust contained in hay results from slight heating. Hay is stored in shocks or stacks in the open air, in hay barns, or under canopies. It is baled for convenient transporting and storage. In the USSR hay accounts for roughly 40–45 percent of feed units in the winter diet and up to 50 percent of the digestible protein. In 1965, 78.2 million tons of hay was fed to livestock, and in 1973, 80.8 million tons.

REFERENCE

Larin, I. V. Lugovodstvo i pastbishchnoe khoziaistvo, 3rd ed. Leningrad, 1969.

V. BORINEVICH

hay

[hā] (agriculture) Forage plants cut and dried for animal feed.

hay

, hey1. a circular figure in country dancing 2. a former country dance in which the dancers wove in and out of a circle

Hay

Will. 1888--1949, British music-hall comedian, who later starred in films, such as Oh, Mr Porter! (1937)

hay

hay

hay

hay

hey

Hay

hay

Hay

hay

hay

hay

hay

hay

in (one's) heyday

between hay and grass

dance the antic hay

roll in the hay

what the hey

hit the hay

hit the sack

make hay

make hay while the sun shines

(and) that ain't hay

hayburner

hay head

hayseed

hit the hay

Make hay while the sun shines.

That ain't hay.

hit the hay

make hay while the sun shines

roll in the hay

that ain't hay

and that ain't hay

make hay while the sun shines

hit the sack

hit the hay

hit the hay

make hay

a roll in the hay (or the sack)

hit the sack

make hay while the ˈsun shines

hit the ˈsack/ˈhay

hay burner

hay head

hayseed

hit the hay

hit the sack

That ain’t hay!

make hay

roll in the hay

hit the hay/sack, to

make hay while the sun shines

that ain't hay

Hay

Hay,

hay,

Hay

REFERENCE

hay

hay

Hay

HAX1

HAX1

HAY

hay

Synonyms for hay

noun straw

Synonyms

Words related to hay

noun grass mowed and cured for use as fodder

Related Words

verb convert (plant material) into hay

Related Words