Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hold with the hare and run with the hounds

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.06 in modern English

Syllables: hold with- the hare and run with- the hounds
IPA

64

Scrabble Score

34

Letters

3

Syllables

13

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To oppose an action or behavior and yet engage in the same action or behavior; to be a hypocrite.

Dated

verb

To remain neutral by attempting to placate two factions or both sides of a controversy.

Dated

Example Sentences

"Well, if you ask me, Pastor Hawkins is trying to hold with the hare and run with the hounds by opposing casino gambling when his church operates a bingo game every Thursday night."
"[…] Laddes that canne holde with the Hare and hunt with the Hounde, and (as the Scripture termeth them) time-seruers and menpleasers."
"Thousands try to hold with the hare and run with the hounds, they are for God and Mammon, Christ and Belial, truth and error, and so are “neither hot nor cold.”"
"Thus Housman's uniformed creations move crookedly; they run with the hare and run with the hounds, and their “meaning” is uncertain."
"Julianna needs to be careful if she keeps holding with the hare and running with the hounds; she might wind up making enemies of both labor and management."
"Eleventhly, There is yet another profeſſor ; and he is for God and for Baal too, he can be any thing, for any company : he can throw ſtones with both hands, […] he'll hold with the hair, and run with the hound, he carries fire in one hand, and water i'th t'other^([sic – meaning in th'other]) ; […]"

Usage

Dated

Inflected Forms

holds with the hare and runs with the hounds (present, singular) holding with the hare and running with the hounds (participle, present) held with the hare and ran with the hounds (past) held with the hare and run with the hounds (participle, past)

Questions

What does hold with the hare and run with the hounds mean?: To oppose an action or behavior and yet engage in the same action or behavior; to be a hypocrite.

How to pronounce hold with the hare and run with the hounds

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