up to the hub
Preserved but no longer current.
Fully, entirely, as far as gossible. If a cart sinks in the mud up to the ub, it can sink no lower; if a man is thrust through with a sword up to the hub, the entire sword has passed through him; and if a quoit strikes the hub, it is not possible to do better.
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 “up to the hub” mean?
Fully, entirely, as far as gossible. If a cart sinks in the mud up to the ub, it can sink no lower; if a man is thrust through with a sword up to the hub, the entire sword has passed through him; and if a quoit strikes the hub, it is not possible to do better.
Is “up to the hub” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.