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| hem [ hem ] |
interjection,
noun (plural hems) |
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| Definition: |
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noise made in throat: a word used to represent the sound made by somebody clearing his or her throat or coughing quietly in order to attract attention, warn somebody else, or hide embarrassment or uncertainty
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intransitive verb (past and past participle hemmed, present participle hem·ming, 3rd person present singular hems) |
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| Definition: |
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hesitate in speech: to make the sound "hem," or otherwise hesitate in speech
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| [15th century. An imitation of the sound] |
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hem and haw to hesitate while speaking or deciding something
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