hit close to home • hit home hit close to home—negatively affect smb.’s personal feelings or interests: This story hit close to home as I know Warren Driscoll who was the tow truck driver who was hit. hit home—have a strong emotional impact when fully real- ized: It wasn’t until I read that story that the full horror of what happened in New Orleans finally hit home for me. hit it • hit it out of the ball park hit it—(coll.) find, often by chance, the right answer; say or do exactly the right thing: Yes, that’s just what I mean—you’ve hit it ! hit it out of the ball park —(coll., also: knock it out of the ball park) do smth. exceptionally well: I was out of my mind with the possibility of playing that character because I knew I could hit it out of the ball park . hit it off • hit it up hit it off —(coll.) get on well with a person: How nice that the two girls hit it off so well. hit it up—(U.S. sl.) drink excessively: You’re still hitting it up , I see. Joe, take that bottle away from him. hit it off with someone • make a hit with someone hit it off with someone—(coll.) establish a strong friendly relationship with a person: She finds it hard to make friends, and she hasn’t really hit it off with her roommate. make a hit with someone—(coll.) make a strong impression on a person: You certainly made a hit with my mother-in- law. I hope you will be available soon for our other daughter’s wedding. hit me • hit me up hit me—1. (sl.) tell me; say it now: When I said it was bad news, he said, “Hit me . Let’s have it.” 2. (card games) give me another card: The old man looked at his cards carefully, then said, “Hit me .” hit me up —(sl.) call me up: Hit me up Saturday and let me know what’s up. Cf.: hit me on the hip—(sl.) call me on my pager (usually clipped to a belt): When you need me, just hit me on the hip . hit pay dirt • hit the dirt hit pay dirt—find smth. of value or financially rewarding: His first two plays did not do well. But he hit pay dirt with the third. hit the dirt—fall to the ground suddenly (to avoid being shot, etc.): He hit the dirt the moment before the grenade ex- ploded. Note: The expression does not fully correlate in meaning with the phrase hit the dust1. = hit the dirt: The deputies hit the dust , drawing their weapons, while Jimmy took off running. 2. fall out of the competition: Lots of stores are about to hit the dust for sure. I am trying to hold on to see if this pulls out of the slump. hit the bull’s eye • hit the eye hit the bull’s eye(also: strike the bull’s eye) 1. attain the intended object; succeed: The public is a very curious animal and … how difficult it is to tell what will hit the bull’s eye . 2. guess the right thing; give a correct answer: I implemented a policy of giving partial credit for answers that are close, but didn’t hit the bull’s eye . hit the eye—(also: strike the eye) be very obvious or impres- sive; make a strong impact: What immediately hits the eye on this island is its distinctive harmony: nature, climate, and ways of life are harmoniously amalgamated. hit the ground • hit the ground running hit the ground—(also: hit ground) 1. fall to the ground sud- denly (to avoid being shot, etc.): The voice was cut out by a sudden blast of gunfire. He hit the ground and readied his rifle. 2. (of a storm, etc.) come with forcible impact: We watched a straight and narrow tornado hit the ground a few miles north of the highway. 3. (of a ship) run aground: Heavy winds began to pull it toward land, and at about 6 pm, the ship hit ground and split apart. hit the ground running—start a new job or endeavor effi- ciently, with a great deal of energy: There are plenty of chal- lenges facing the state, and Heath said he believes he will hit the ground running if elected. hit the high spots • hit the spot hit the high spots —(coll.) say or do only the important or obvious things: I said into the telephone, “Just hit the high spots and don’t be too specific. I’m in a hurry.” hit the spot—(coll.) be exactly what is required (especially of food and drink): Seed tea hits the spot during the hot summer months. hit the road • hit the streets hit the road —(coll.) get going; leave: Billy and I hit the road early but were sidetracked by coffee and breakfast and didn’t start in earnest until eight. hit the streets —(coll.) 1. go out into the street: Within about two minutes of hitting the streets we’d picked up a boy who insisted on being our guide. 2. (of products) be launched; appear on the market: This car will hit the streets in 2015, but it won’t be the first hybrid Volvo plans on releasing. Hobson’s choice • Sophie’s choice Hobson’s choice—the option of taking the one thing offered or nothing: There is presently only one stock exchange in Hong Kong and in that respect companies desiring a listing are given Hobson’s choice . Sophie’s choice—(originally the title of the book by W. Styron) a choice between two persons or things that will result in the death or destruction of the person or thing not chosen: I’m not talking about situations like “Sophie’s Choice ” where you are forced into a terrible no-win decision by an outsider… hoe one’s own row • ring one’s own bell hoe one’s own row—(U.S.) be independent; follow one’s interests or inclination (also: paddle one’s own canoe): Now that I have hoed my own row … they deluge me with congratu- lations. ring one’s own bell—(also: blow one’s own trumpet) announce one’s own successes; praise oneself: He was a good team mem- ber. He’s not out there trying to ring his own bell . hog it • pig it hog it—(U.S. sl.) appropriate smth. greedily or selfishly; not share smth. (monopolizing the road, etc.): Now I will really hog it a bit: this is a lovely piece of road. pig it—(sl.) live squalidly or in dirty surroundings: You can’t expect two masterminds like us to pig it in that room down- stairs. Note: a) The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase pig oneself—(sl.) eat gluttonously or greedily (also: pig out): Please do not ply me with biscuits; I have no desire to set you a bad example by pigging myself . b) Neither expression correlates in meaning with the phrase dog it—(coll.) fail to exert effort; underperform: It was apparent to anyone watching him play that he was dogging it on the court. hog-wash • pig-washing hog-wash —(sl.) 1. weak inferior liquor: He had had enough of that sort of hog-wash ladled out to him for genuine liquor. hit close to home – 176 –