go over the hill —(sl.)
1. make an escape; run away:
- They broke out of jail the other night and went over the hill.
2. desert service in the armed forces:
- You should have seen Colclough’s face the day you went over the hill! It was worth joining the Army for.
Note:
a) The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase go downhill—gradually become worse:
- Morgan’s commercial diving business is going downhill fast; his wife has left him and now all he owns is at risk.
b) The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase go over the top—
1. do smth. in a way that is extreme or exaggerated:
- You had the big name designers who went over the top at the big fashion shows.
2. behave in an unrestrained manner:
- Several members went “over the top” at the cafe in the quiet fishing village of Watchet….
3. (Military) go out to attack:
- The terrific bombardment, in general, increased the confidence of the troops about to go over the top.
go over the hills and far away—go to some remote places:
- Winter in the Highlands is not a time to go over the hills and far away, not if you have any sense.
Note: The expression is not equivalent in meaning to the phrase head for the hills—(also: run for the hills) get far away to hide from trouble:
- Within a few hundred years of the Christian conquest of Rome, any remaining Gnostics had to head for the hills…