smite hip and thigh
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Derived from a phrase in the book of Judges, verse 15:8, taking the first half of the sentence as synonymous with the rest.[1]
Verb
[edit]smite hip and thigh (third-person singular simple present smites hip and thigh, present participle smiting hip and thigh, simple past smote hip and thigh, past participle smitten hip and thigh)
- To defeat overwhelmingly.
References
[edit]- ^ The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], 1611, →OCLC, Judges 15:8: “And he smote them hip and thigh, with a great slaughter; and hee went down and dwelt in the top of the rocke Etam.”