hit the books
US · UKhit thuh BUUKS/ˌhɪt ðə ˈbʊks/HIT thuh buuks
Formshits the books, hitting the books, hit the books
- 1To study, especially with great effort or focus.
Medical students hit the books for months before their licensing exams.
After a lazy summer, he finally hit the books when classes resumed.
Note
An informal idiom, chiefly American and Australian, in which the books stand for study itself and hit means setting about it in earnest. Only the verb changes: she hits the books, they are hitting the books, last night he hit the books. The past is identical to the present. It often carries a note of reproach alongside should: when you should be hitting the books.
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