ride high
verbEtymology * Possibly an allusion to one who rides on horseback in an upright, proud, commanding manner.
1
Idiomatic To enjoy good fortune; to be in a privileged situation; to be particularly happy or proud.
- He that went away with his frock-skirts looped over his arm, comes back riding high; suddenly made one of the dignitaries of this world.1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, “ch. 9”, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, (please specify |book=I or IV, or the page):
- Many people suspect that scientists, riding high in the modern world, are uninterested in man's spiritual qualities, which cannot be subjected to test tube and microscopic analysis.1955 October 10, “Science: An Attribute of God”, in Time, retrieved 08 Jan 2018:
4 more examples
- Sexual virility, coital potency rides high and arrogant over the commercial, artistic, social strivings of contemporary society[.]1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page iii:
- Many analysts believe that Honda's enterprising spirit, deeply embedded in the company's culture, has been primarily responsible for its dazzling success. . . . But even as Honda rides high, the company faces challenges on several fronts.1987 June 15, Susan Chira, “Honda is powered by risks”, in New York Times, retrieved 08 Jan 2018:
- But Radnich, 65, and Krueger, 45, have enough in common that their partnership has worked. On a station that rides high with the fortunes of the Giants, the Warriors and the Niners, the two have fended off such competitors as KGMZ.2015 December 30, Ben Fong-Torres, “KNBR’s Larry Krueger: You can go home again”, in Seattle Post-Intelligencer, retrieved 08 Jan 2018:
- True Religion . . . filed for bankruptcy protection this week. . . . A decade ago, the brand was riding high, commanding hundreds of dollars a pair for jeans.2017 July 7, Abha Bhattarai, “$350 jeans are dead. $100 leggings killed them.”, in Washington Post, retrieved 08 Jan 2018:
- Related terms
- tall in the saddle