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have a dog in the hunt
To have some vested interest in or something to gain by a given situation. Some people can watch a football game no matter who is playing, but I'm only interested if I've got a dog in the hunt. Many small business owners—whether they know it or not—have a dog in the hunt with this proposed tax bill.
hunt where the ducks are
To pursue or look for one's objectives, results, or goals in the place where one is most likely to find them. If you're looking to expand your customer base, you need to identify who would benefit from your business the most and then hunt where the ducks are.
snipe hunt
1. A practical joke in which the victim is sent on a hunt for a fictitious animal called a snipe. When I was in the Cub Scouts, the youngest members were always sent out on a snipe hunt by the counselors on the night of our first big campout.
2. By extension, any hunt, search, or quest for something that is fictitious, non-existent, elusive, or illusory. The president has pledged to make universal healthcare a reality, but I think he's really just on a snipe hunt.
happy hunting ground
A utopia. Used by Native Americans to describe the afterlife. The annual car swap meet is a happy hunting ground for automotive enthusiasts.
you can't run with the hare and hunt with the hounds
When two parties are in conflict, you can't support both of them—you must choose one. Come on, you can't run with the hare and hunt with the hounds—pick a side! You're either in favor of renovating the library, or you're not.
witch hunt
An attempt to blame and punish people who hold unpopular views and opinions, often under the guise of some other investigation. The ruling party's witch hunt against its detractors sparked a civil war.
hunt after someone or something
to seek or pursue someone or something. I'm hunting after a tall man with straight black hair. Elaine is hunting after a place to store her bicycle.
hunt for someone or something
1. to chase someone or something for sport. The hunter hunted for grouse on the game preserve. Frank likes to hunt for deer.
2. to look for someone or something. I am hunting for someone to help me with the piano. lam hunting for a new piano.
hunt high and low (for someone or something)
and look high and low (for someone or something); search high and low (for someone or something)Fig. to look carefully in every possible place for someone or something. We looked high and low for the right teacher. The Smiths are searching high and low for the home of their dreams.
hunt someone or something down
1. to chase and catch someone or something. I don't know where Amy is, but I'll hunt her down. I'll find her. I will hunt down the villain.
2. to locate someone or something. I don't have a big enough gasket. I'll have to hunt one down. I have to hunt down a good dentist.
hunt someone or something out
to find someone or something even if concealed. We will hunt them all out and find every last one of those guys. We will hunt out all of them. They hunted out the murderer.
hunt through something
to search through the contents of something; to search among things. Joel hunted through his wallet for a dollar bill. I will have to hunt through my drawers for a pair of socks that match.
look someone or something up
and hunt someone or something up 1. to seek someone, a group, or something out. I lost track of Sally. I'll try to look her up and get in touch with her. lam going to look up an old friend when lam in Chicago. I am going to hunt that old gang up. Ted came into town and looked up his favorite pizza place.
2. to seek information about someone or something in a book or listing. I don't recognize his name. I'll look him up and see what I can find. I'll look up this person in a reference book. She looked herself up in the telephone book to make sure her name was spelled correctly.
look up
to show promise of improving. My prospects for a job are looking up. Conditions are looking up.
look up (from something)
to gaze upwards; to stop reading or working and lift one's gaze upward. She looked up from her reading and spoke to us. Mary looked up as we came into the room.
run with someone or something
to stay in the company of someone or some group. Fred was out running with Larry when they met Vernon. Let's go out and run with the other guys this morning.
run with something
1. Lit. to run, showing a particular characteristic. Sally runs with speed and grace. Fred runs with tremendous speed.
2. Fig. to take over something and handle it aggressively and independently. I know that Alice can handle the job. She will take it on and run with it. I hope she runs with this next project.
run with the hare and hunt with the hounds
Fig. to support both sides of a dispute. In our office politics, Sally always tries to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds, telling both the clerical workers and the management that she thinks they should prevail.
look somebody up
also look up somebody to visit someone Look me up the next time you're in Los Angeles. I hope you'll look up my niece while you're in Pittsburgh.
look something up
also look up something to check a fact or get information about something If you don't know the meaning of the word, look it up in your dictionary. The research involved looking up how my opponent voted.
hunt/search high and low
to search everywhere for something (usually + for ) I've been hunting high and low for the certificate, but I still haven't found it.
run with the hare and hunt with the hounds
(old-fashioned) to support two competing sides in an argument You've got to decide where you stand on this issue. You can't run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.
See run out the clock, go like clockwork, go deep, cast eye over, be run off feet, drive into the ground, have a good run for money, go to seeda witch-hunt
an attempt to find and punish people who have opinions that are believed to be dangerous Senator McCarthy led a witch-hunt against suspected communists during the 1950's.
happy hunting ground
A place where one can find or do what one wishes without restriction. For example, The North Shore is a happy hunting ground for antique collectors. This term alludes to the Native American idea of an afterlife where hunters find unlimited game. [Early 1800s]
look up
1. Search for in a book or other source, as in I told her to look up the word in the dictionary. [Late 1600s]
2. Call on or visit, as in I'm going to look up my friend in Chicago. [Mid-1800s]
3. Become better, improve, as in Business is finally looking up. [c. 1800]
4. look up to. Admire, respect, as in The students really looked up to Mr. Jones. [Early 1700s]
run with
1. Also,
run around with. Socialize with; see
run around, def. 2.
2. Take as one's own, adopt; also, carry out enthusiastically. For example, He wanted to run with the idea and go public immediately.
3. run with the hare, hunt with the hounds. Support two opposing sides at the same time, as in He wants to increase the magazine's circulation along with its price-that's trying to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds . This expression, alluding to being both hunter and hunted at the same time, dates from the 1400s and was already a proverb in John Heywood's 1546 collection.
hunt down
v.1. To pursue, track, or search for something or someone: The panther hunted down the deer. The police hunted the kidnappers down.
2. To find something or someone after a long or difficult search: I hunted down my watch—it was at the bottom of my sock drawer. After two weeks, the detectives finally hunted the suspect down.
look up
v.1. To direct one's gaze upward: Look up at that cloud; it looks like a dog!
2. To search for information about someone or something from a reference source, such as a book or a file system: He looked up the word "gullible" in the dictionary. I forgot her phone number, so I looked it up on the Internet.
3. To seek out and visit or contact someone: We looked up an old friend when we visited Boston. I looked my college roommate up, and we got together to talk about the old days.
4. To become better; improve: Things are looking up now that the weather's better.
5. look up to To hold someone in high regard: I look up to my parents.
run with
v.1. To accompany and participate in the activities of someone or something: Those teenagers run with a wild crowd.
2. To float or sail in the same direction as something:The sailboat ran with the wind all the way to the beach. On the trip back, we can run with the current, and we won't have to paddle the canoe.
3. To adopt something or take something as one's own and then proceed with it: I took their idea for a novel and ran with it.
head hunt
tv. & in. to recruit someone (for a job). He went to the conference to head hunt a new employee.