Hit it off

Hit it off is an idiom that dates back several hundred years. An idiom is made up of a word, group of words or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is not easily deduced from its literal meaning. We will examine the definition of the phrase hit it off, where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences.

To hit it off means to immediately get along with someone well, to feel friendly toward and in sync with someone, especially upon first meeting. Two people who have hit it off are said to have “clicked”. People who hit it off usually have interests, hobbies, goals or attitudes in common. The phrase hit it off may be applied to people who become friends as well as two people who become a romantic couple. The term hit it off dates back to the 1780s and an archaic definition of the word hit. During the 1600s, the Old English words hyttan and hittan meant to meet up with, to come upon. Eventually, the meaning of these words evolved to mean to strike, but the original definition of to meet up with or to come upon is preserved in the idiom to hit it off. Hit if off is a verbal phrase, related phrases are hits it off, hitting it off.

Examples

The pair, introduced by Stapleton’s then girlfriend, Morgane Hayes, hit it off at a dinner during which Stapleton hit the table with his palm and exclaimed to the stranger, “I can’t believe I’m at a table with Ronnie Bowman!” (The Roanoke Times)

The couple controversially hit it off in 2014, when Lawson was believed to have cheated on his long term girlfriend Candice Leeder to hook up with the blonde midwife. (The Daily Mail)