hardly

exchange no more than

some number of words with someone and not exchange more than some number of words with someone; hardly exchange more than some number of words with someone; scarcely exchange more than some number of words with someone to say hardly anything to someone. (Always negative.) I know Tom was there, but I am sure that I didn't exchange more than three words with him before he left. We hardly exchanged more than two words the whole evening. Sally and Liz didn't have enough time to exchange more than five words.

See also: exchange, more

hardly have time to breathe and scarcely have time to breathe

Fig. to be very busy. This was such a busy day. I hardly had time to breathe. They made him work so hard that he scarcely had time to breathe.

See also: breathe, have, time

hardly have time to think

so busy that one can hardly think properly; very busy. I've been so busy that I hardly have time to think. I hardly have time to think in the job that I do. We are just too busy.

See also: have, think, time

wet behind the ears and not dry behind the ears; hardly dry behind the ears

Fig. young and inexperienced. John's too young to take on a job like this! He's still wet behind the ears! He may be wet behind the ears, but he's well-trained and totally competent. Tom is going into business by himself? Why, he's hardly dry behind the ears.

See also: behind, ear, wet

---

[hardly/scarcely etc.] earth-shattering

not very surprising or shocking We were all expecting the announcement. It wasn't exactly earth-shattering news.

can't hear yourself think  also can barely/hardly hear yourself think

if you can't hear yourself think, there is so much noise around you that it is impossible to hear anything The music was so loud I could hardly hear myself think.

See also: hear, think

---

wet behind the ears

young and not experienced The job put a lot of responsibility on someone who was still wet behind the ears, but he learned fast.

See also: behind, ear, wet