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Old 09-17-2006, 10:49 PM   #17
Dalton
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 90245
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Vehicle:
2004 STi
Aspen White

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A phone receiving many calls in rapid succession can be said to be "ringing off the hook". (Often cartoons will show a telephone handset literally bouncing above the ringing base unit.) This most likely led to the present use of "off the hook" as a synonym for "crazy" or "exciting".

"Off the hook", meaning "freed from responsibility or culpability" is not related to the telephone, but most likely derives from the image of a worm dislodging itself from a fishing hook.

""Off the Hook"" is sometimes used as slang, when some thing was really good, or some one had a good time

Example usage

"Last night was off the hook" as if they were saying "last night was really awesome"
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