be on the hop —(coll.)
1. be very busy:
- I’d been on the hop ever since morning, for being in love with Anita was a strenuous calling.
2. play truant; stay away from school, etc.:
- Remember that day I was on the hop from school? I went down to the city that day…
go on the hop — = be on the hop 2:
- Ronan used to go “on the hop” (skipping school) when he was a teenager.
Note: Neither expression correlates in meaning with the phrase catch someone on the hop—(coll.) catch a person unprepared; take smb. by surprise:
- You’ve caught me on the hop, I’m afraid—give me five minutes to get ready.