on the hook

prep_phrase — 2 senses

on the hook

prep_phrase
1

Literally Of an animal, slaughtered for food.

2

Idiomatic, Informal In debt; obligated to pay or provide; liable; responsible or blamed.

  • For now, at least, Mr. Wedell, who is a vice president at the Robinson-Humphrey Company, a subsidiary of Shearson Lehman, is still on the hook for unsettled claims.1991 October 27, Barbara Presley Noble, “Making a Difference: Lloyd's 'Indentured Servant'”, in New York Times, retrieved 15 Jun 2011:
  • Yes, incumbents of both parties—especially those incumbents facing tough re-election campaigns—don't want to be on the hook for this vote.2008 September 29, “Washington to Wall Street: Drop Dead”, in Newsweek, retrieved 15 Jun 2011:
2 more examples
  • Could taxpayers really be on the hook for UAW pensions? Yes.2010 April 15, Joseph R. Szczesny, “GM's Pension: A Ticking Time Bomb for Taxpayers?”, in Time:
  • Cameron was getting pressure from the studio to try and have something that would be an additional powerful marketing tool. And because the studio was on the hook for this picture, for what they’d spent they were looking for every marketing opportunity that they could get.2017 May 18, Mickey Rapkin, “The Oral History of Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’: Controversies, Doubts & ‘Belly Pains’ In the Studio”, in billboard.com:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.