ABSTRACT
When you “hit the road/’ do you bend down and slap the ground? “Hit the road” is an idiom meaning “leave and go somewhere.” An idiom is a group of words which you do not interpret literally. Its meaning is based on customary usage. The expression “catch a plane” is another idiom. You do not literally grab a plane traveling 500 mph at 35,000 feet. And who would make any special effort to “catch a cold”? Most people would be happy to let it go.
