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ons, determined by the tone or the context. When repeated, ha, ha, it is an expression of laughter, satisfaction, or triumph, sometimes of derisive laughter; or sometimes it is equivalent to "Well, it is so." Ha-has, and inarticulate hootings of satirical rebuke. Carlyle.

rst good handsel of breath in this world. Fuller. Our present tears here, not our present laughter, Are but the handsels of our joys hereafter. Herrick.

A cry in war as the signal for indiscriminate slaughter. Toone. Do not cry havoc, where you should but hunt With modest warrant. Shak. Cry 'havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war! Shak.

A sacrifice of a hundred oxen or cattle at the same time; hence, the sacrifice or slaughter of any large number of victims. Slaughtered hecatombs around them bleed. Addison. More than a human hecatomb. Byron.

he imagination which gives to ideas an incongruous or fantastic turn, and tends to excite laughter or mirth by ludicrous images or representations; a playful fancy; facetiousness. For thy sake I admit That a Scot may have humor, I'd almost said wit. Goldsmith. A great deal of excellent humor was expended on the perplex…

Full of humor; jocular; exciting laughter; playful; as, a humorous story or author; a humorous aspect.

xcessive; extravagant; unreasonable; as, immoderate demands; immoderate grief; immoderate laughter. So every scope by the immoderate use Turns to restraint. Shak.

unavoidably; certainly. Inevitably thou shalt die. Milton. How inevitably does immoderate laughter end in a sigh! South.

g easily diffused or spread; sympathetic; readily communicated; as, infectious mirth. The laughter was so genuine as to be infectious. W. Black.

Involving, or accompanied by, mutual slaughter; mutually destructive. Internecine quarrels, horrible tumults, stain the streets with blood. Motley.

Mutual slaughter or destruction; massacre. [Obs.] Sir M. Hale.

The object of laughter or sport; a laughingstock. Then let me be your jest; I deserve it. Shak. In jest, for mere sport or diversion; not in truth and reality; not in earnest. And given in earnest what I begged in jest. Shak. -- Jest book, a book containing a collection of jests, jokes, and amusing anecdotes; a Joe Mil…

gentle dullness ever loves a joke. Pope. Or witty joke our airy senses moves To pleasant laughter. Gay.

A fit of coughing; also, a convulsive fit of laughter. [Scot.]

One who slaughters worn-out horses and sells their flesh for dog's meat. [Eng.]

Ceremonially clean, according to Jewish law; --applied to food, esp. to meat of animals slaughtered according to the requirements of Jewish law. Opposed to tref. Hence, designating a shop, store, house, etc., where such food is sold or used.

The shambles; a place of slaughter. [R.]

To smear with lard or fat. In his buff doublet larded o'er with fat Of slaughtered brutes. Somerville.

by the emission of explosive or chuckling sounds from the chest and throat; to indulge in laughter. Queen Hecuba laughed that her eyes ran o'er. Shak. He laugheth that winneth. Heywood's Prov.

Fitted to excite laughter; as, a laughable story; a laughable scene.