{"id":225,"date":"2021-11-24T20:01:46","date_gmt":"2021-11-24T20:01:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=225"},"modified":"2021-11-24T20:01:46","modified_gmt":"2021-11-24T20:01:46","slug":"hit-a-lick-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/hit-a-lick-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Hit a Lick - Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Did you just win some money at the casino? You could say you \u201c<strong><em>hit a lick<\/em><\/strong>\u201d at the slots. This slang phrase has plenty of use in modern language, and its origin traces back more than 100-years.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, you probably heard the use of \u201c<em>hit a lick<\/em>\u201d in some popular tracks from famous rappers like Gucci Mane, J. Cole, and Lil Yachty.<\/p>\n<p>This post unpacks this idiom. We\u2019ll look at its meaning, origin, and use in conversation.<\/p>\n<h2>Hit a Lick Meaning<\/h2>\n<p>The first use of the phrase \u201c<em>hit a lick<\/em>\u201d described a criminal that nets themselves a big \u201c<em>score.\u201d<\/em> To \u201c<em>hit<\/em>\u201d means to forcibly or non-forcibly take money from another person or entity, such as robbing a cash business or taxing a drug dealer.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201c<em>lick<\/em>\u201d describes the money or reward for the actions of the criminal. However, as the decades went by, the phase adapted to mean receiving, earning, accumulating, or winning a large sum of money in a short period.<\/p>\n<p>To hit a lick could mean winning the lottery, earning a fortune overnight in crypto trading, or winning a jackpot at a casino. According to language experts, the \u201c<em>lick<\/em>\u201d refers to the feeling of instant gratification a person receives from licking a lollipop or ice cream cone.<\/p>\n<p>Hit a lick is a colloquial saying, and its suitable for use in modern language in various informal settings. The phrase is also interchangeable with others like \u201c<em>bust a lick<\/em>\u201d and \u201c<em>catch a lick<\/em>.\u201d However, we would not recommend the use of this term in professional language.<\/p>\n<h2>Hit a Lick Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cNatalie, I can\u2019t believe it! While you were here losing money on playing tables, I won $10,000 on the slots! <em>I hit a lick tonight<\/em>! Let\u2019s go celebrate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just won that contract at work today, honey; we <em>hit a lick <\/em>with this one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTom turns 21 on Friday, and he gets access to his trust account; he <em>hit a lick<\/em> with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAudrey <em>hit a lick<\/em> at work; she got a huge bonus this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<em>I hit a lick <\/em>at the racetrack today and won big while everyone else lost their money.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Hit a Lick Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The earliest recorded use of the phrase traces back to a publication called \u201c<em>Wheel and Cycling Trade Review<\/em>\u201d in 1891. The journal uses the term \u201ca hit and a lick,\u201d with the language referring to giving something a try.<\/p>\n<p>We also find the term in the Institution Quarterly journal from Illinois, published in 1920. In this publication, the phrase appears in the context of meaning a minor attempt at rejuvenation. The term seems to change in the early 1990s, with hip hop culture adapting it to \u201c<em>hit a lick<\/em>\u201d from \u201c<em>a hit and a lick<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The rapper \u201c<em>Scarface<\/em>\u201d was officially the first to use \u201c<em>hit a lick<\/em>\u201d in a rap song, with the phrase appearing in one of the tracks on his album.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"hit a lick\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_-ME-urbDoU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Hit a Lick<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>To make a score.<\/li>\n<li>To hit it big.<\/li>\n<li>To hit the jackpot.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Hit a Lick<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>To take an L.<\/li>\n<li>To lose it all.<\/li>\n<li>To throw it all away.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Hit a lick.<\/li>\n<li>Hitting a lick.<\/li>\n<li>Hit the lick.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Hit a Lick Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>People may use this idiom incorrectly, referring to the actual action of licking something. There is no licking involved; rather, the lick relates to a monetary or financial windfall. It is not appropriate language for professional situations.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Hit a Lick<\/h2>\n<p>You can use \u201c<em>hit a lick<\/em>\u201d in casual conversation with friends. Use the phrase to describe a lucky situation where you benefit financially.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Did you just win some money at the casino? You could say you \u201chit a lick\u201d at the slots. This slang phrase has plenty of use in modern language, and its origin traces back more than 100-years. In fact, you probably heard the use of \u201chit a lick\u201d in some popular tracks from famous rappers [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":226,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225\/revisions\/226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}