eat high off the hog

eat high off the hog

To prosper or otherwise live very well. It refers to the rich being able to afford the choicest cut of meat, which, from a pig, is higher up on the animal. They've been eating high off the hog ever since David won the lottery. It must be a shock for them having to count their pennies like this—they're used to eating high off the hog, after all.See also: eat, high, hog, off

eat high on the hog

To prosper or otherwise live very well. It refers to the rich being able to afford the choicest cut of meat, which, from a pig, is higher up on the animal. They've been eating high on the hog ever since David won the lottery. It must be a shock for them having to count their pennies like this—they're used to eating high on the hog, after all.See also: eat, high, hog, on

high off the hog, eat

Also, live high on the hog. Prosper, live luxuriously, as in When Aunt Ida dies and they inherit her estate, they'll be eating high off the hog, or Since their loan was approved, they've been living high on the hog. It alludes to the choicest cuts of meat, which are found on a pig's upper flanks. [Late 1800s] See also: eat, high, off

high off the hog, to eat/live

To live well; to prosper. This term comes from the practice of the choicest cuts for ham and bacon being taken from high up on the pig’s side. It originated in the American South in the nineteenth century and became extremely common in the mid-twentieth century. It is sometimes put as eating high on the hog. See also: eat, high, live, off