| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| hit (n., v.) |
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| Most uses of the verb and noun are Standard, but note the limitations on these other senses of the verb: “To arrive at a place,” as in We hit Chicago about nightfall, is Conversational, as is My stocks hit a new low yesterday and Her comments really hit home. To hit the books, meaning “to study,” is slang; so is to hit someone up for something, meaning “to ask someone for something.” Various baseball and cardplaying uses are similarly limited to particular special audiences. The noun also has several Standard senses, plus some Conversational or Informal senses too, such as “a witty or insulting remark,” as in He got home a sharp hit with that observation. Conversational or Informal too is the use of hit meaning “an instant popular or box office success,” used of plays, songs, books, movies, and the like. Slang uses of the noun include “a murder,” as in The mob made a hit on that storekeeper, “a dose of a drug or of liquor,” as in She needed a hit right away. And again there are many baseball and other gameplaying uses of the noun, all of which must be carefully attuned to audience and situation. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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