hound (redirected from hounds)

*clean as a hound's tooth and *clean as a whistle 

1. Rur. Cliché very clean. (*Also: as ~.) After his mother scrubbed him thoroughly, the baby was as clean as a hound's tooth. The car was as clean as a whistle after the Girl Scouts washed it.

2. Rur. Cliché innocent and free from sin or wrong. (*Also: as ~.) Jane's record was clean as a whistle; she had never committed even the smallest infraction.

See also: clean, tooth

hound someone from some place and hound someone out (of something or some place)

to chase someone out of some place; to force someone out of something or some place. They hounded Joel and his friends from the town. The sheriff hounded Tex out of town.

See also: place, some

hound someone or an animal down

to pursue and capture someone or an animal. I will hound the killer down if it takes me the rest of my life. I will hound down that killer if it takes years.

See also: animal

hound something out of someone

Fig. to force someone to give information. We are going to have to hound the information out of her. We hounded the combination to the safe out of them.

See also: out

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.

See also: and, hare, hunt, run

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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 seed

See also: and, hare, hunt, run