Idiom
Hit the road
Hit the road means leave a place or start a journey; as a command, it can also mean "go away."
How people use it
Most often it is a casual way to say it's time to go: "It's getting late; we should hit the road." Travelers use it for starting a trip, and musicians and comedians use it for going on tour. Said sharply, "Hit the road" tells someone to leave, which is rude. The tone is informal. It works for any kind of travel, not only by car.
Examples
- We need to hit the road by six if we want to beat the traffic.
- After a week at Grandma's, it was time to hit the road and head home.
- The band will hit the road in March for a twenty-city tour.
Where it comes from
The phrase is American and dates from the late 1800s or early 1900s. "Hit" had come to mean reach or set out on, as in "hit town" or "hit the trail," and "the road" stood for traveling. It became more popular as cars made long road trips common during the 1900s.
Check yourself
1. What does your friend mean by "Let's hit the road"?
Answer: Let's leave now. Hit the road means leave or start a journey.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: The sun is up, so let's hit the road before the highway gets busy.. The idiom means setting off, so staying home or striking a street does not fit.
Similar idioms
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