a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips

Said of food that is very tasty but very fattening. Sometimes used as warning or expression of disapproval. No chocolate cake for me, thanks. A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips! Are you sure you should have a second helping of ice cream? You know what they say: a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips. Have you tried this crème brûlée? Who cares about "a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips" when something tastes this good!

a moment on the lips, forever on the hips

Said of food that is very tasty but very fattening. Sometimes used as warning or expression of disapproval. No chocolate cake for me, thanks. A moment on the lips, forever on the hips! Are you sure you should have a second helping of ice cream? You know what they say, a moment on the lips: forever on the hips. Have you tried this crème brûlée? Who cares about "a moment on the lips, forever on the hips" when something tastes this good!

be hip to (someone or something)

To know about or be aware of someone or something. Why isn't anyone else hip to Sarah's schemes? She's so obvious! I just hope she's hip to Mark's manipulative ways now and dumps him. Do you think I was never a teenager? Please, I'm hip to all your tricks, honey.

be joined at the hip

slang To spend a lot of time with someone else, often a close friend. Every time I see Jenna, Kelli is right there with her. Those two are really joined at the hip these days. That kid's a known troublemaker. If he's joined at the hip with your son all of a sudden, I'd be worried. Yes, they're married, but they don't have to be joined at the hip! Seriously, it's bizarre how they do every little thing together.

See also: hip, join

become hip to (someone or something)

To know about or be aware of someone or something. Why hasn't anyone else become hip to Sarah's schemes? She's so obvious! You better become hip to Mark's manipulative ways now, before it's too late. You really need to stop sneaking out—Mom and Dad have become hip to all your tricks.

fire from the hip

To speak or act rashly, recklessly, or bluntly, without consideration of potential consequences. An allusion to firing a handgun immediately upon drawing it from its holster without taking time to aim. The country's prime minister has gained a reputation for firing from the hip, issuing executive orders without consulting members of parliament. The boss tends to fire from the hip, so don't take what he says too personally. I know you love to fire from the hip, but you can't do that on the campaign trail if you want to win over undecided voters.

get hip to (someone or somebody)

To know about or be aware of someone or something. Why hasn't anyone else gotten hip to Sarah's schemes? She's so obvious! You better get hip to Mark's manipulative ways now, before it's too late. Now that I'm hip to these scammers, they won't be getting another dime out of me!

have (someone) in (one's) hip pocket

To have someone under one's control or influence, especially in an underhanded or unethical way, such as by bribery or extortion. It's pretty obvious that corporate bigwigs have all of our national legislators in their hip pockets. I hear that the boss has half the police force in his hip pocket. A: "What exactly are you suggesting? That the mob has me in their hip pocket?" B: "Well, it just strikes me as odd that you're no longer going to testify against them."

hip to (someone or something)

Aware of someone or something. Why isn't anyone else hip to Sarah's schemes? She's so obvious! You better get hip to Mark's manipulative ways now, before it's too late. Do you think I was never a teenager? Please, I'm hip to all your tricks, honey.

Hip, hip, hooray!

An exclamation of praise, congratulations, or celebration. Often said as a call-and-response, in which one person prompts with "hip, hip," while the other person or people respond with "Hooray!" A: "Three cheers for Sarah, the savior of the company! Hip, hip!" B: "Hooray!" A: "Hip, hip!" B: "Hooray!" A: "Hip, hip!" B: "Hooray!" Happy Birthday, Tommy! Hip, hip, hooray! A: "Hip, hip!" B: "Hooray!" A: "Hip, hip!" B: "Hooray!"

Hip, hip, hurrah!

An exclamation of praise, congratulations, or celebration. Often said as a call-and-response, in which one person prompts with "hip, hip," while the other person or people respond with "hurrah!" A: "Three cheers for Sarah, the savior of the company! Hip, hip!" B: "Hurrah!" A: "Hip, hip!" B: "Hurrah!" A: "Hip, hip!" B: "Hurrah!" Happy Birthday, Tommy! Hip, hip, hurrah! A: "Hip, hip!" B: "Hurrah!" A: "Hip, hip!" B: "Hurrah!"

hip-shooter

Someone who speaks or acts rashly, recklessly, or bluntly, without consideration of potential consequences. An allusion to firing a handgun immediately upon drawing it from its holster without taking time to aim. The country's prime minister has gained a reputation as a hip-shooter, issuing executive orders without consulting members of parliament. The boss tends to be a hip-shooter, so don't take what he says too personally. I know you love to be a hip-shooter, but you can't do that on the campaign trail if you want to win over undecided voters.

hit me on the hip

To contact one on their cell phone, beeper, or pager. The term refers to the tendency for beepers and pagers to be worn attached to one's belt. Hit me on the hip if there's any change in the patient's condition. A: "Hit me on the hip when you get there!" B: "Dad, you're not old enough to say things like that—or to wear your phone on your belt." I'm the on-call doctor, so hit me on the hip if you run into any issues getting the MRI done.

in (one's) hip pocket

Under one's control or influence, especially in an underhanded or unethical way, such as by bribery or extortion. It's pretty obvious that our national legislators are all in corporate bigwigs' hip pockets! I hear that the boss has half the police force in his hip pocket. A: "What exactly are you suggesting? That I'm in the mob's hip pocket?" B: "Well, it just strikes me as odd that you're no longer going to testify against them."

in the hip pocket of (someone)

Under someone's control or influence, especially in an underhanded or unethical way, such as by bribery or extortion. It's pretty obvious that our national legislators are all in the hip pocket of corporations. You'll never get justice for it—half the police force is in the hip pocket of the mafia. A: "What exactly are you suggesting? That I'm in the hip pocket of the mob?" B: "Well, it just strikes me as odd that you're no longer going to testify against them."

joined at the hip

slang Always near or spending a lot of time with someone else, often a close friend. Every time I see Jenna, Kelli is right there with her. Those two are really joined at the hip these days.

See also: hip, join

on the hip

In a vulnerable position; lacking power. The prosecution really has me on the hip now—I don't think there's any way I'm going to win this case.

shoot from the hip

To speak or act rashly, recklessly, or bluntly, without consideration of potential consequences. An allusion to firing a handgun immediately upon drawing it from its holster without taking time to aim. The country's prime minister has gained a reputation for shooting from the hip, issuing executive orders without consulting members of parliament. The boss tends to shoot from the hip, so don't take what he says too personally.

See also: hip, shoot

*hip to someone or something

Inf. knowing about someone or something; adapting to someone or something. (*Typically: be ~; get ~; become ~.) The boss began to get hip to Mary and her deviousness. She finally began to get hip to what was going on.

joined at the hip

Sl. closely connected; always together. Those two are joined at the hip. They are always together. Sam and Martha are joined at the hip.

See also: hip, join

shoot from the hip

1. Lit. to fire a gun that is held at one's side, beside one's hip. (This increases one's speed in firing a gun but is much less accurate.) When I lived at home on the farm, my father taught me to shoot from the hip. I quickly shot the snake before it bit my horse. I'm glad I learned to shoot from the hip.

2. Fig. to speak directly and frankly. (Alluding to the rapidness of firing a gun from the hip.) John has a tendency to shoot from the hip, but he generally speaks the truth. Don't pay any attention to John. He means no harm. It's just his nature to shoot from the hip.

See also: hip, shoot

shoot from the hip

Speak or act recklessly or impulsively, as in Steve isn't very tactful; indeed, he's known for shooting from the hip. This expression transfers the fast shooting accomplished by drawing a gun from a holster and shooting without raising it to quick speaking or acting. [Slang; mid-1900s] For a similar transfer, see shoot off one's mouth.

See also: hip, shoot

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

joined at the hip

1. If two people are joined at the hip, they are very close to each other emotionally and spend a lot of time together. The couple who are almost joined at the hip in their 20s may have become quite distant in their 40s. Though we often work together, we're not joined at the hip. Note: People often use this expression when they disapprove of how close two people are.

2. If two problems or situations are joined at the hip, they are very closely linked and cannot be considered or dealt with separately. Trends in world trade and trends in the environment are supposed to be joined at the hip.

See also: hip, join

shoot from the hip

If someone shoots from the hip, they react to situations very quickly and forcefully, without thinking about the consequences. They criticized his readiness to shoot from the hip. She claimed that she did not shoot from the hip. She liked to think hard and long before taking decisions. Note: You can also say that someone fires from the hip with the same meaning. He certainly has a tendency to fire from the hip — to be impulsive. Note: The image here is of a cowboy removing his gun from its holster and firing immediately, without raising it to take aim.

See also: hip, shoot

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

in someone's hip pocket

completely under someone's control. North American

joined at the hip

inseparable in opinions or outlook. informal

The metaphor is based on the idea of literal conjoined twins.

2002 Fast Company Magazine You can't look at Wall Street without looking at Washington. They're joined at the hip.

See also: hip, join

shoot from the hip

react suddenly or without careful consideration of your words or actions. informal

See also: hip, shoot

joined at the ˈhip

1 (humorous) used to say that two people are never apart and spend a great deal of time together: She and Scott didn’t separate all night. It’s like they’re joined at the hip or something.
2 used to say that two things are closely connected to each other: Astronomy isn’t physics, but they’re joined at the hip. ♢ The two companies are joined at the hip through their joint ownership of the TV station.

See also: hip, join

ˌshoot from the ˈhip

react quickly without thinking carefully first: As a manager, he was sometimes accused of shooting from the hip, but he was always popular with his colleagues.

This refers to firing a shot from a handgun immediately after taking it from your belt, without taking proper aim.

See also: hip, shoot

hip

1. mod. informed; aware. (see also hep.) The guy is just not hip. He’s a nerd.

2. tv. to tell someone; to inform someone. What’s happening? Take a minute and hip me!

hip-shooter

n. someone who talks without thinking; someone who speaks very frankly. (see also shoot from the hip.) He’s just a loudmouthed hip-shooter. Pay no attention.

hit me on the hip

tv. call me on my pager. (Pagers are usually worn attached one’s belt or in a pants packet.) When you need me, just hit me on the hip.

joined at the hip

mod. closely connected; as thick as thieves. (As Siamese twins are joined.) Those two are joined at the hip. They are always together.

See also: hip, join

shoot from the hip

in. to speak quickly and without thinking. (see also hip-shooter.) She has a tendency to shoot from the hip, but that’s not really a problem.

See also: hip, shoot

shoot from the hip

Slang

To act or speak on a matter without forethought.

See also: hip, shoot

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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