The Meaning of Headlines - 'hit it off'

The Meaning of Headlines - 'hit it off' - relationships

Canberra Times published an article on November 26, 2015, with the headline ‘We hit it off: Mariah Carey opens up about James Packer.’ What does ‘hit it off’ mean? Hit what, off what?

‘Hit it off’ is an idiom. Dictionary.com defines ‘hit it off’ as an informal phrase meaning ‘to be congenial or compatible with.’ McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrases defines it as ‘to quickly become good friends with someone.’ It adds that the idiom probably developed from the Middle English word ‘hitten’ dating to the 12^th century – or the Scandinavian Old Norse word ‘hitta’ meaning ‘by chance.’ Or in more recent time, when referring to music, hit it means to ‘start playing music.’ The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms indicates that ‘hit it off’ was originally ‘hit it’ in the 17^th century and the ‘off’ was added in the mid-1800s – but also meaning ‘get along well together.’

Hit it off should not to be confused with ‘hit on’ which is slang for ‘making persistent sexual advances’ or ‘hit up’ which is to ask for money or favours, or ‘hit out’ which is to lash out verbally or physically.

The article is about the ‘unusual’ or ‘surprise’ relationship between singer Mariah Carey and media mogul James Packer. It starts with the sentence ‘This year’s most unlikely couple award is a close tie between two moguls and their new flames. There is Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall and then there is James Packer and Mariah Carey.’ The relationship was revealed in June 2015.

In an interview with American chat show host Steve Harvey about her relationship with James Packer, Mariah Carey said they ‘instantly connected.’ Carey added, ‘We were at the Hercules premiere. We were talking and laughing … we hit it off.’

Scorecard for the Canberra Times headline is 100%. The meeting of the couple (Carey and Packer), described by Mariah Carey, shows that they ‘quickly became good friends’ and were indeed ‘congenial or compatible’ with each other. The article confirmed this with the quote from Carey and follow-up quotes. So indeed they ‘hit it off.’

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity/we-hit-it-off-mariah-carey-opens-up-about-james-packer-20151125-gl89pe.html#ixzz3saPcOVHd

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