sling one's hook

verb

To leave, depart, especially if forced to do so.

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Meanings

verbsling one's hook (third-person singular simple present slings one's hook, present participle slinging one's hook, simple past and past participle slung one's hook)

present singular third person slings one's hook · participle present slinging one's hook · participle past slung one's hook · past slung one's hook

  1. colloquialderogatoryidiomaticTo leave, depart, especially if forced to do so.

    Landlady: O'Brien? He don't live here any more. Not lived here for months. I made him sling his hook. Never paid his lodgings.

    2007 March 6, Julie Rutterford, Life on Mars, Season 2, Episode 3
    2 more examples

    ‘I don’t want none of your apologies, and I don’t want none of you neither; I don’t like the looks of you, and so I tell you. Before I let anybody into my house you’ll have to sling your hook.’

    1897, Richard Marsh, The Beetle

    Placing his hand on the doorknob he could hear his father's indignant voice: "If he's no job he can damn well sling his hook, he's not living under my roof free gratis, I want him out."

    2005, Kevin Muir, Run For Freedom

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
bugger offleavetake one's hook
Cite this entry
APA

sling one's hook. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sling%20one's%20hook

MLA

“sling one's hook.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sling%20one's%20hook. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sling one's hook,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sling%20one's%20hook.

Source: sling one's hook on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.