English

Alternative forms

• high off the hog

Adverb

high on the hog ‎(comparative higher on the hog, superlative highest on the hog)

1. (idiomatic, US) Well off; living comfortably or extravagantly.

   Ever since his promotion, they’ve been living high on the hog.

   • 1912, George S. Jack, Edward Boyle Jacobs, History of Roanoke County, p. 29:

     With all the tenderloin, spareribs and backbones, we lived “high off the hog”.

   • 1927, Allegheny Regional Advisory Board, Proceedings of the regular meeting, p. 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.

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

• dire straits
• high life
• live large
• well to do

References

1. ↑ The American Heritage dictionary of idioms, by Christine Ammer, pp. 300–301