/ hæʃ; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ U , C ] a hot dish of cooked meat and potatoes that are cut into small pieces and mixed together
2.
[ U ] ( informal ) = hashish
3.
(also ˈhash sign ) (both BrE ) ( NAmE ˈpound sign ) [ C ] the symbol ( \# ), especially one on a telephone
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IDIOMS
- make a hash of sth
■ verb
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- hash sth out
••
WORD ORIGIN
noun sense 1 and make a hash of sth. hash sth out. late 16th cent. (as a verb): from French hacher , from hache axe, from medieval Latin hapia , of Germanic origin.
noun sense 3 1980s: probably from hatch shade an area with parallel lines , altered by folk etymology.