high on the hog

== English == === Alternative forms === 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. === 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. 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 ==== === References ===