hitting on all six
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Doing well, giving a fine performance. The phrase comes from motoring, where an engine which is running well is described as having the pistons in. all six cylinders hitting perfectly.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “hitting on all six” mean?
Doing well, giving a fine performance. The phrase comes from motoring, where an engine which is running well is described as having the pistons in. all six cylinders hitting perfectly.
Is “hitting on all six” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.