happy

*happy as a clam (at high tide) and *happy as a clam (in butter sauce); *happy as a lark; *happy as can be

contented; very happy. (*Also: as ~.) I've been as happy as a clam since I moved to the country. I don't need much. Just somewhere to live, some work to do, and a TV to watch, and I'm happy as a clam at high tide. Matthew was happy as a lark throughout his whole vacation. Bob was happy as can be when he won the lottery.

See also: clam

(a) happy camper

a happy person. The boss came in this morning and found his hard disk trashed. He was not a happy camper.

See also: camper

(I'd be) happy to (do something). and Be happy to (do something).

I would do it with pleasure. (The something is often replaced with a description of an activity.) John: I tried to get the book you wanted, but they didn't have it. Shall I try another store? Mary: No, never mind. John: I'd be happy to give it a try. Alice: Would you fix this, please? John: Be happy to.

Call no man happy till he dies, and Count no man happy till he dies.

Prov. You cannot tell if a person's life has been happy on the whole until that person's life is over; no matter how happy someone is now, something bad may happen to destroy his or her happiness. Alan: You must be very happy with your new wife. Bill: Call no man happy till he dies. Jill: That movie star must be the happiest person in the world. He's rich, people love him, and he likes his work. Jane: Count no man happy till he dies.

See also: call, die, man, till

couldn't be happier

totally happy. They both couldn't be happier since they got married.

See also: couldn't

fat and happy

Fig. content, as if from being well-fed. Since all the employees were fat and happy, there was little incentive to improve productivity. You look fat and happy. Has life been treating you well?

See also: and, fat

happy hour

a time to drink a cocktail, starting at about 5:00 P.M. (Often bars have lower prices during "happy hour.") I think that Mary has been starting happy hour a little early. Before noon I think.

See also: hour

Happy is the bride that the sun shines on.

Prov. It is supposed to be good luck for the sun to shine on a couple on their wedding day. Our wedding day was a sunny one, and most of my relatives made sure to remind me, "Happy is the bride that the sun shines on."

See also: bride, shine, sun

Happy is the country which has no history.

Prov. Since history tends to record only violent, unfortunate, or tumultuous events, a country with no history would be a country lucky enough to have no such unhappy events to record. The history of our country is so full of greed, violence, and dishonesty; happy is the country which has no history.

See also: country, has, history

strike a happy medium and hit a happy medium; find a happy medium

to find a compromise position; to arrive at a position halfway between two unacceptable extremes. Ann likes very spicy food, but Bob doesn't care for spicy food at all. We are trying to find a restaurant that strikes a happy medium. Tom is either very happy or very sad. He can't seem to hit a happy medium.

See also: medium, strike

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not be a happy camper  (British & American humorous) also not be a happy bunny (British humorous)

to be annoyed about a situation Her computer crashed an hour ago and she's lost a morning's work - she's not a happy camper.

See also: camper

a happy accident

a pleasant situation or event that is not planned or intended We never planned to have a third child - it was a happy accident.

See also: accident

a happy hunting ground

a place where you can find exactly what you want

Usage notes: The happy hunting ground was a Native American way of referring to heaven, or where they went when they died.

Flea markets are a happy hunting ground for people looking for antiques at good prices.

See also: ground, hunting

a happy medium

a way of doing something which is good because it avoids being extreme (often + between ) What you want from a holiday is a happy medium between activity and relaxation. I'm either exercising all the time or I'm doing nothing but I can't seem to find a happy medium.

See also: medium

be [glad/happy/pleased etc.] to see the back of somebody/something

to be pleased when someone leaves or when something ends because you did not like them She was an absolute pain when she stayed with us and we were both really pleased to see the back of her. I'll be glad to see the back of this thesis. It's been going on far too long.

See also: back, see

be as happy as Larry/a sandboy  (British & Australian) also be as happy as a clam (American)

to be very happy and to have no worries We married nine days after we met, and three years on we're happy as Larry. Since he's been at college he's as happy as a clam.

happy-go-lucky

a happy-go-lucky person is happy all of the time and does not worry about anything He struck me as a happy-go-lucky kind of guy.

the happy event  (humorous)

the birth of a child So when are they expecting the happy event?

See also: event

trigger-happy

someone who is trigger-happy uses their gun too often and without thinking carefully The book's main character is a trigger-happy New York detective.

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(as) happy as a clam

very happy I am happy as a clam living all by myself in this little house by the sea.

Etymology: based on the full form of the phrase happy as a clam in mud at high tide (a clam that cannot be dug up and eaten, which therefore could be considered happy)

See also: clam

a few fries short of a Happy Meal

not very intelligent I could tell he was a few fries short of a Happy Meal, but unfortunately you can't arrest someone for being stupid.

Usage notes: this idiom appears in many different forms, including a few cards short of a full deck, a few bricks short of a full load, a few clowns short of a circus, and a few Cokes short of a six-pack, all with the same meaning

See also: few, meal, short