Hit Idioms

Several words have found themselves used in a number of phrases. We looked at 'foot' last time and this time it's 'hit'.

Hit it off dates from as early as 1780, and was used the same as the modern 'hit on' only from 1970.

Hit the nail on the head is recorded as early as 1570, but had nothing to do with hammers. This was an archery reference.

Hit the hay is first seen in 1912, which is strange as by then few mattresses would have been stuffed with hay.

Hit the bricks dates from 1909. Not heard today, it was trade union slang and referred to going on strike.

Hit (someone) up, to request something of someone, dates from 1917.

Not know what hit them is first seen in print in 1923.

Hit the road appears in print for the first time in 1873.

Hit and run has had no less than three lives. The vehicular reference is first seen in 1924; later this was also used for a military strike, first appearing in 1940; but the earliest, and probably the most obvious, is the baseball reference from 1899.

Hit the bottle is not seen before 1933, although 'hit the booze' had been in use since at least 1899.

Hit song/record/film/ etc dates as early as 1811, when it was used to refer to plays and shows.

Desert Island Discs

First introduced to this long-running radio broadcast by my grandmother. In those days nearly every piece of music chosen was classical or from some musical or other – at least it seemed that way. In recent years the delights of the podcast, the ideal companion on a long walk, has reunited me with Desert Island Discs and started me thinking about my own particular choices and just how difficult it must be to select just eight tracks to represent one’s life thus far. When first listening, with my grandmother, as I was around seven years old and, with the Merseybeat dominating the UK charts, the decision would have been much easier than today, almost five decades later!

Never one to be able to resist a challenge, I began to jot down some favourite tracks but soon abandoned this method as I would have ended up with hundreds before long. Hence I tried to think of music which reminded me of significant moments in my life. Oddly this failed for the opposite reason, for I have no notion of what (if anything) was playing when I heard about 9/11 or Kennedy’s assassination, for example. So I tried eras and genres and eventually whittled the list down to the following. Unlike the programme I’ve not explained the reason for my choices, indeed I’d probably struggle to find explanations for most. Incidentally this list would probably change dramatically every single day.

She Loves You – The Beatles

Meditation de Thais – Jules Massenet

Brown Sugar – The Rolling Stones

The Impossible Dream – Matt Monroe

Running Scared – Roy Orbison

Walk Hand In Hand – Gerry and the Pacemakers

I Shall Be Released – The Hollies

Imagine – John Lennon

When it came to a choice of books the decision was much easier. My favourite sci-fi author is, was and ever shall be Isaac Asimov. Mr Asimov was also famous for being the first (and maybe still the only) person to have a published work in every category of the Dewey Decimal System. As Kirsty is very flexible when it comes to book choices, I shall opt for the yet to be released The Complete Works of Isaac Asimov, it might even be able to tell me how to survive on this island. Incidentally the mandatory Shakespeare I can take or leave, and the Bible will only be ballast. I have no faith and if I accept it will teach me to be better inclined toward my fellow man it is doubly redundant as I am now alone on a desert island!

Luxury item was very difficult. It changes every time I make a decision. So before it changes again, I’ll opt for R Daneel Olivaw – I doubt if this will be allowed but I’m not giving her the chance to veto it. Oh, and if you don’t know who or what R Daneel Olivaw is, you haven’t read my book choice.