high on the hog
In opulent style
To live or eat high on the hog means to enjoy a luxurious or prosperous lifestyle, indulging in the best of everything.
The expression comes from the idea that the choicest cuts of pork—ham, tenderloin, chops—come from higher on the pig's body, while poorer folks made do with feet, jowls, and belly.
After his promotion, he was living high on the hog.
The opposite sentiment appears in the phrase low on the hog.
- live largeSpend freely, enjoy opulence
- living largeIndulging in excess
- lap of luxuryState of extreme comfort
- life of RileyCushy, carefree existence
- easeLack of strain
plenty · live it up · easy street · gravy train · fat of the land · affluence · opulence · money to burn · sitting pretty · in clover · splurge · extravagance · wealth · richness · rolling in dough · upper crust · well-off · living well
high on the hogscraping by
Barely having enough
hand to mouth · dirt poor · living in poverty · down and out · destitute
high on the hogtightening one's belt
Reducing personal expenditures
penny-pinching · cutting corners · counting every penny · doing without · making do
high, higher, highest, highly, height, heights, heighten, heightened, heightening