▪ I. hung, ppl. a.
(hʌŋ)
[pa. pple. of hang v.]
1. a. Suspended, attached so as to hang down, etc.; see the vb. Often with qualification, as well, ill.
| 1663 F. Hawkins Youth's Behav. 97 Annulet, a thing hung about the neck. 1678 Quack's Acad. 6 A Tongue well hung. 1771 Smollett Humph. Cl. 26 June, The carriage is..well hung. 1894 Athenæum 22 Sept. 393/2 In all hung window sashes means should be adopted to permit both the sashes being removed. |
b. Of meat: Suspended in the air to be cured by drying, or (in the case of game) to become ‘high’.
| 1655 Moufet & Bennet Health's Improv. (1746) 349 Country-labourers, accustomed to feed usually upon hung Beef. 1772 Nugent tr. Hist. Fr. Gerund I. 106 Old ewe⁓mutton, hung-meat, and household bread. 1833 Marryat P. Simple xxiii, A piece of hung beef, and six loaves. 1863 Morn. Star 1 Jan. 5, I have heard Dr. Hill's evidence as to hung game being unwholesome and unfit for food. |
2. a. Furnished or decorated with hanging things.
| 1648 Gage West Ind. 16 All her masts and tacklings hung with paper Lanthornes. 1791 Trans. Soc. Arts IX. 33 They [peas] grew rapidly and were very well hung. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. iii. I. 385 At the larger houses of entertainment were to be found beds hung with silk. |
† b. Having pendent organs. Obs.
| 1641 Best Farm. Bks. (Surtees) 1 Hunge tuppes are such as have both the stones in the codde. c 1645 Howell Lett. (1650) I. 32 They cut off his genitories, (and they say he was hung like an ass). 1685 Lond. Gaz. No. 1998/4 A large Hound Bitch..pretty well hung, all white. 1785 Grose Dict. Vulg. T., Well-hung. |
3. a. Of a jury: unable to agree. Cf. hang v. 6 b, 17 c. U.S.
| 1848 E. Bryant California (1849) xxvi. 291 The jury..were what is called ‘hung’; they could not agree, and the matters in issue, therefore, remained exactly where they were. 1962 Listener 10 May 799/1 No one would deny that a deadlocked jury—what the Americans call a hung jury—is a bad thing. 1965 J. Porter Dover Two v. 63 What with hung juries, appeals and pleas for mercy, they'd had it [sc. the story] on ice for a long time. |
b. Of an elected body: in which no political party has an overall majority.
| 1974 Economist 3 Aug. 13/2 This Parliament has been called many names: the hung, the cynical, the shiftless, the cowed. 1978 Times 22 May 2 He saw all the pointers to another hung parliament. 1979 Economist 12 May 24/3 A hung parliament..helped to produce these hung councils. 1983 Listener 14 Apr. 4/3 We must not expect politicians to say anything sensible about their intentions in a hung Parliament until the results are known. 1985 Abingdon Herald 21 Feb. 6/4 There could be a ‘hung’ council, probably with the Tories being the largest group but unable to form an administration without the support of one of the other parties. |
4. slang. Suffering from excess of liquor (or drugs). Also hung-over (cf. hang-over 2), having or affected by a hang-over.
| 1950 R. Starnes And when she was Bad (1953) xvi. 76 Brafferton just came in, looking as hung over as you can get. 1952 J. Van Druten I am a Camera (1954) 90 Enters..wearing a dressing gown and looks hung-over. ‘I say, you don't look too well this morning.’ ‘I've got a terrible hangover.’ 1958 Amer. Speech XXXIII. 225 Drunks are hung, too. 1960 Homes & Gardens Aug. 70/2 It is said to have therapeutic qualities on hungover mornings. 1960 I. Shaw Two Weeks in another Town x. 125 He awoke late, feeling headachy and hung-over from the liquor of the night before. 1962 K. Orvis Damned & Destroyed vii. 48 A score or more of addicts—all hungover. 1963 H. Slesar Bridge of Lions i. 7, I know you're hung, Mr. Drew. 1968 J. Hudson Case of Need vi. 126, I was hung over from a party after the game. Really hung. Too hung. 1972 C. Drummond Death at Bar v. 139 Christ! You look hung over!.. What about drinks all round? |
▪ II. hung
(hʌŋ)
pa. tense and pple. of hang v.