Englishover the hill
Meaning: Too old to be of much value.
Example: “At thirty-five, some athletes are considered over the hill.”
Origin: Maps a life onto a landscape with a summit in the middle: ascent through youth and the gathering of powers, a peak somewhere in maturity, and a descent on the far side. Once past the crest, everything that follows is downhill — easier, in one sense, and unmistakably headed somewhere in another. The phrase in this sense is American and twentieth-century, common from around the 1950s. It is worth separating from an older and unrelated military use, current around the First World War, in which going over the hill meant deserting — leaving camp, crossing the ridge, and not coming back. The two senses share only the geography; the modern one has entirely displaced the other in ordinary speech.
More English idioms
- pencil pusher An office worker; a bureaucrat who routinely does his or her paperwork job without any de…
- penny pincher A person that doesn't like to spend money.
- peter out To disappear gradually.
- pinch pennies To be very careful with one's money; to be concerned about how one spends every penny.
- pink slip Notice that one has been fired from one's job.
- play hardball To work or act aggressively, competitively, or ruthlessly, as in business or politics.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- Ты умница (ty umnitsa) You're bright, clever, and admirable — said warmly of someone who handles things well.
- У тебя золотые руки (u tebya zolotye ruki) You're extraordinarily skilled — able to make or fix anything with your hands.
- T'as pas inventé le fil à couper le beurre You're not exactly a genius — the wire to cut butter is about the most obvious tool imagi…
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