hang heavy

present singular third person hangs heavy · participle present hanging heavy · participle past hung heavy · past hung heavy

1. idiomaticTo seem to pass slowly; to crawl.

   What was it all, to have a duke and to have lords dining with her, to dine with lords or with a duke itself, if life were dull with her, and the hours hung heavy!

   1868, Anthony Trollope, Phineas Finn

2. idiomaticliteral or figurativeTo seem oppressive, stifling, or laden.

   1 more example

   2017, Jennifer S. Holland, For These Monkeys, It’s a Fight for Survival., National Geographic (March 2017)http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/03/macaques-monkeys-indonesia-endangered-pet-trade/ The town of Tompasobaru, a six-hour drive from Tangkoko, is known for the fragrant cloves that carpet the front yards of homes, drying on tarps in the sun. But in the town’s open market, the air hung heavy with the metallic smell of the butcher’s wares.