hardly

(one) can hardly believe his or her eyes

One is unable to believe or accept what is happening right in front of one. She could hardly believe her eyes when all of her extended relatives surprised her by coming to our wedding. This place is so dirty, I can hardly believe my eyes!

can hardly hear (oneself) think

Unable to concentrate or think clearly because there is too much noise or commotion around oneself. Kids, go outside to play! I can hardly hear myself think with you shouting like that! With the noise of the construction outside her window, she could hardly hear herself think.

hardly dry behind the ears

Not yet fully mature; not well experienced in some situation or for some role. You boys can't enlist for the army, you're hardly dry behind the ears!

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.

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.

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.

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

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

[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.

hardly ever

Also, rarely ever, scarcely ever. Very seldom, almost never, as in This kind of thief is hardly ever caught, or He rarely ever brings up his wartime experiences. The ever in these expressions, first recorded in 1694, serves as an intensifier.

wet behind the ears

Also, not dry behind the ears. Immature, inexperienced, as in How can you take instructions from Tom? He's still wet behind the ears, or Jane's not dry behind the ears yet. This term alludes to the fact that the last place to dry in a newborn colt or calf is the indentation behind its ears. [Early 1900s]

See also: behind, ear, wet

wet behind the ears

Inexperienced; green.

See also: behind, ear, wet

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Badri	-	Georgian
Jaslyn	JAZ-lin	English (Rare)
Syuzanna	-	Russian
ValÉRio	-	Portuguese
Eutropia	-	Ancient Greek
Alvey	['ælvi]