English Explanatory Dictionary

high on the hog

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adv
  1. Well off; living comfortably or extravagantly due to great wealth or financial security.

Pronunciation

en-au-high on the hog.ogg

Word forms

high on the hog higher on the hog highest on the hog high off the hog

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.

Related words

cream of the crop high life live large upper crust well to do
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