Alphabetical Entries: H

hatchecker, hatcheck attendant/clerk, hat attendant/clerk, checkroom/coatroom/cloakroom attendant/clerk.

hatchery owner/worker.

hired killer/attacker/assassin, killer, professional killer, mercenary, liquidator; someone who gives you the axe or does a hatchet job on someone. The term is harder to replace in its sense of someone who carries out a disagreeable task.

the Southern Poverty Law Center lists more than 1,000 hate groups by name, location, and membership numbers. Divided into Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazi, white nationalist, racist skinhead, Christian identity, neo-confederate, black separatist, and general hate groups, their names often reveal their orientation (e.g., Knights of the Holy Cross of the Ku Klux Klan, American Nazi Party) but may also appear innocuous (e.g., American Family Association, Illinois Family Institute). Don't take anything for granted when writing or speaking about a group unknown to you.

based on the male custom of doffing one's hat to indicate respect or appreciation, this term is used today without sex bias – perhaps because hat-wearing is no longer so closely associated with one sex.

although this term means "housewife" for both Germans and English-speaking peoples who have borrowed it, its use is neutral-to-positive in Germany but largely pejorative in English-speaking countries. Use it only in Germany.

nonsexist; comes from the French "bois" for "wood."

Hawaii has two official languages; Hawai'i is the correct spelling in the Hawaiian language. Because "Hawaiian" is an English word, it has no "`okina" (glottal stop), thus Hawai'ian is incorrect. Hawaiian words are pluralized by what comes before them; therefore do not add an "s" to hula, lei, mahalo, or other Hawaiian words. The University of Hawaii website has a helpful style guide. Ethnic Hawaiians are descendants of the original Polynesian inhabitants of the islands, and are also called Native Hawaiians. Hawaiian can also be used to refer to those of Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Puerto Rican ancestry in Hawaii. Or use Hawaii resident or islander for anyone living in the state.

this tends to be used more of a man than of a woman, although it is not in itself gender-specific. Along with such words as "bumpkin," "clod/clodhopper," and "plow jockey," it is pejorative and anti-farmer. More sex-neutral and less pejorative terms include: country cousin, rustic, tiller of the soil, provincial.

never use "he" when you mean "he and she," or when you are referring to someone who could be a man or a woman (for example, "the consumer/he"). Make your sentence plural, circumlocute, or use one of the suggestions given in the Writing Guidelines.

they who hesitate are lost, once you hesitate you are lost.

they who laugh last laugh best, when you laugh last you laugh best.

they who lie down with dogs rise with fleas.

they who live by the sword die by the sword, if you live by the sword you will die by the sword.

they who seek find, seek and you shall find.

this term perpetuates stereotypes and false expectations. Use instead precise adjectives: aggressive, hardy, rugged, husky, hearty, robust, powerful, muscular, domineering, capable, dynamic, energetic, physical.

woman or man. See also family man, housewife, provider.

man or woman.

head cager/worker; traditional chief; overseer, supervisor.

private school/school director/principal, principal, director, head administrator, head. In some instances (for example, a British boys'/girls' school) "headmaster" or "headmistress" might be correct.

executioner, public executioner, beheader.

man or woman.

assistive device. In material prior to 1991, "health appliance" is correct. Assistive devices include equipment, aids, self-help devices, furniture, and other medical apparatus designed to facilitate living with disabilities.

see universal health care coverage.

when necessary to include this information, use "deaf" for those with complete hearing loss, and "partial hearing loss" or "partially deaf" for others. Best practice is to ask people how they want to be identified. See also deaf/Deaf.