Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
high on the hog. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
high on the hog, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
high on the hog in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
high on the hog you have here. The definition of the word
high on the hog will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
high on the hog, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
An allusion to the best and costliest cuts of meat from a hog, considered to be parts above the belly such as the loin, rather than lower parts such as the feet, knuckles, hocks, belly, and jowls. US, late 1800s; popularized 1940s. The variant forms – live/eat and on/off – are attested since at least the 1930s. However, decades earlier is the phrase on the hog, originally on the hog train meaning someone living on little expense.
Pronunciation
Adverb
high on the hog (comparative higher on the hog, superlative highest on the hog)
- (idiomatic, US) Well off; living comfortably or extravagantly due to great wealth or financial security.
- Ever since his promotion, they’ve been living high on the hog.
1912, George S. Jack, Edward Boyle Jacobs, History of Roanoke County,, page 29:With all the tenderloin, spareribs and backbones, we lived “high off the hog”.
1927, Allegheny Regional Advisory Board, Proceedings of the regular meeting,, page 21:Down our way there is a favorite expression used quite often—“eating high on the hog”. That is what our competitors have been doing…
- 1934, Time, Volume 24, p. 68:
- The synthetic belle wins the prize and her creators are eating high off the hog until the nation’s Press demands a look at the original.
2006, Julia Spencer-Fleming, All Mortal Flesh: A Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne Mystery:If she was pulling this scam off all that time, I think she'd be living a little higher on the hog, don't you?
Usage notes
- Often used in the expressions “living high on the hog” and “eating high on the hog.”
- The opposite, “low on the hog”, is much more rarely used.
See also
References
- ^ Christine Ammer (1997) “high off the hog”, in American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, first edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, →ISBN, pages 300–301.