• Idiom – Hit the books or Pound the books
  • Meaning – Study. To study hard or with a concentrated effort for something.
  • In this expression hit means to start or to begin.

There are many other idioms that begin with “Hit the…” Here are some common ones:

  • Hit the bar/club – To visit a bar/club.
  • Hit the big time – To become famous or successful.
  • Hit the bottle – To get drunk; to drink too much alcohol regularly.
  • Hit the deck – To fall to the ground suddenly to avoid danger.
  • Hit the gas – To accelerate.
  • Hit the ground running – To begin doing something new with great energy or skill.
  • Hit the hay – To go to bed.
  • Hit the jackpot – To win a lot of money or to be very successful.
  • Hit the mark – To be correct or suitable.
  • Hit the nail on the head – To be absolutely right about something.
  • Hit the road – To leave or to start a journey.
  • Hit the roof – To suddenly become very angry.
  • Hit the sack – To go to bed.
  • Hit the spot – To be exactly right or to give total satisfaction.
Example:
  • I can’t meet you guys this weekend. I’ve got an exam next week and I really need to hit the books!”
Listen:
Discuss:
  • Is there an idiom like this in your country?
What is an idiom?

An idiom is a word or phrase that is not taken literally.  An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its individual words, but has a separate meaning of its own.