| Babbler . . . | A hound that gives tongue unnecessarily. |
| Blank: . . . | Is blank or drawn blank when no scent is found within. A blank day is one in which the hounds fail to find a scent. |
| Blind country . . . | Is terrain overgrown with weeds and underbrush, where it is difficult to gauge the jumps and footing. |
| Blue-ticked . . . | When a hound is mostly white with small splashes of black mixed in giving a blue appearance. |
| Brush . . . | The tail of a fox. |
| Burning scent . . . | Scent is so hot and strong that hounds pursue the line without hesitation. |
| Burst . . . | Hounds get away quickly or when there is a short, fast run during a hunt. |
| Bye day . . . | When the hounds are taken out on a day not regularly scheduled on the fixture card. |
| Carry (a good head) . . . | When hounds run abreast in following a line. |
| Carry (a line) . . . | To follow the line of the scent. |
| Cast . . . | Huntsman escorts the hounds to an area where the scent could have recently been left, or may encourage the hounds look for themselves. |
| Catch hold . . . | Huntsman collects his hounds and takes them forward for a check or halloo indicating that there has been a view. |
| Challenge . . . | When a hound first owns or speaks to a line. |
| Charles James . . . | Fox. |
| Check . . . | When hounds lose the scent and stop. Hounds may search for the line or are cast by the huntsman. |
| Cold line . . . | A faint scent that may have lain for some time. Could also be a fresh scent but too faint for the hounds to carry. |
| Counter . . . | When a hound runs a line in reverse. |
| Covert . . . | Wooded areas where quarry might be found. |
| Cry . . . | The voice or music of a hound, which varies with the quality of the scent. |
| Cub . . . | The young fox. |
| Cub hunting . . . | Informal hunting in the late summer and early fall before the regular hunting has started, in order to enter young hounds. |
| Den . . . | The home of the fox. |
| Dog Hound . . . | The male hound. Sometimes called a stallion hound if used for breeding. |
| Double back . . . | When the line of scent turns back on its course. |
| Doubling the horn . . . | A series of thrilling notes made by using the tongue. |
| Draft . . . | To acquire hounds from another hunt |
| Drag hunt . . . | A form of hunting which uses an artificial line of scent. |
| Draw . . . | Search for a scent in a covert. |
| Draw a blank . . . | An unsuccessful draw. |
| Dwell . . . | When a hound lingers unnecessarily on a line instead of going forward. |
| Enter . . . | Hounds put into the pack during the cubbing season. |
| Eye to hounds . . . | Listening and watching the hounds so one can tell which way the line has gone and what the hounds will do. |
| Feathering . . . | A hound that follows a line, moves his stern from side to side but gives little tongue indicating that he is unsure of the scent. |
| Field . . . | Designated followers of the hounds, whether afoot or on horseback, other than the master and the hunt staff. |
| Find . . . | When hounds first open on a scent. |
| Fixture card . . . | A statement of where and when the meets will be held. |
| Flighty . . . | Undependable (hounds). |
| Foil . . . | The line crosses itself or the scent of another animal that may cause the hounds to check. |
| Forrard . . . | When huntsman directs his hounds straight ahead. |
| Fresh . . . | An adjective to describe a scent that is not cold. |
| Full cry . . . | Heart warming voice or chorus given by the hounds when they are hunting enthusiastically. |
| Gone away . . . | When the hounds are on full cry on a run |
| Hark forward . . . | A call by the huntsman to cheer his hounds into a covert or to encourage them on the line. |
| Head (verb) hounds . . . | To cause the hounds to get their heads up. Not good! |
| Heads Up . . . | When the hounds, losing the scent, raise their heads to search for it. |
| Heel . . . | Hounds that hit a line and run it backwards. |
| Hilltoppers . . . | Riders and those afoot who follow the hunt from vantage points at a safe distance from the staff and field. |
| Hoick . . . | Huntsman's cheer to encourage the hounds. |
| Hold hard . . . | Huntsman's warning to the field not to override his hounds. |
| Honest hound . . . | Dependable tongue, not a babbler. |
| Honor a line . . . | When a hound speaks on scent. |
| Huntsman . . . | Person who hunts the hounds. |
| Larking . . . | Jumping fences unnecessarily. |
| Lift . . . | Taking the hounds away from a lost line, and casting forward. |
| Line . . . | Track of the scent. |
| Line breeding . . . | Offspring from parents with common ancestry. |
| Livery . . . | The attire of professional members of the hunt (old); also refers to horse rental. |
| Manners . . . | Deportment of hounds and horses. |
| Meet . . . | Site where the hunting day starts. |
| MFH . . . | Master of Foxhounds. |
| MFHA . . . | Masters of Fox Hounds Association of America. |
| Mouthy . . . | Hound that is noisy and a babbler. |
| Music (of hound) . . . | The cry of the pack. |
| Mute . . . | A hound that fails to give tongue when following a line. |
| Noisy . . . | Mouthy, babbling. |
| Nose . . . | Scenting ability of a hound. |
| Out-cross . . . | Infusion of new blood into hound breeding. |
| Over-ride . . . | To press the hounds too closely, especially at a check. |
| Over-run . . . | Hounds shoot past the line when the scent has shifted by a change of course or foil. |
| Own . . . | To speak or honor a line. |
| Pack . . . | A number of hounds hunted together regularly. |
| Pack sense . . . | Trait of pack working together and honoring each other. |
| Pad . . . | Foot of a hound. |
| Pie . . . | A reference to certain colorations of a hound. |
| Pinks . . . | Scarlet coats of the hunting staff, named after a British tailor of the same name. |
| Point . . . | The distance from where the scent begins and ends. |
| Point to Point . . . | Race across country, originally from one Church steeple to another. Now a race across flagged country following a defined course. |
| Ratcatcher . . . | Informal dress worn during the cub hunting season. |
| Rate . . . | When the master or huntsman punishes his hounds with the thong or sharp words. |
| Recover . . . | When a scent is picked up again after a check. |
| Ride . . . | A lane cut though a covert. |
| Ride in the huntsman's pocket . . . | A rider, often a greenhorn, who follows at the heels of the huntsman. |
| Ringer . . . | A scent that runs in circles. |
| Riot . . . | Hounds that follow scents other than the designated scent. |
| Rising scent . . . | Scent that is poor at ground level, caused by the combination of cold ground and warm air. |
| * Adapted from: The Chronicle of the Horse, September 19, 1986. |
|Events|Fixtures|Staff|Dues|Hounds|WHH in the News|MembershipApplication|Other Hunts|MFHA|Liability Release|History| |Photo Archive|Video Archive|Hunting Terms|Proper Attire|Do's & Don'ts|Other Links|Members Only|ArtfullyEquestrian|Contact Us| Copyright©westhillshounds.com 2009