Off the hook
Posted by P. Frymier on June 20, 2001
I work with graduate students from all over the world and frequently use idioms and phrases that I need to define. I used the phrase "off the hook" today in a discussion but want to check my assumption of the origin of this phrase.
I have assumed that this comes from the fact that meat in processing plants is hung on "meat hooks" suspended from a rack to facilitate moving the heavy carcasses. To be "on the hook" would certainly be a painful position, so that being "off the hook" would be a relief. Therefore, "off the hook" could be used to indicate being removed from a painful situation.
Can anyone verify this in any way? I searched the archives and did not find anything, but I just stumbled across this resource a couple of days ago.
- Off the hook R. Berg 06/20/01
- Off the hook Bruce Kahl 06/20/01
- Off the hook R. Berg 06/20/01
- Off the hook ESC 06/20/01
- Off the hook R. Berg 06/20/01
- Off the hook ESC 06/20/01
- Off the hook Paul Frymier 06/21/01
- Off the hook ESC 06/20/01
- Off the hook R. Berg 06/20/01
- Off the hook ESC 06/20/01
- Off the hook R. Berg 06/20/01