hit the high notes

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

hit the high notes (third-person singular simple present hits the high notes, present participle hitting the high notes, simple past and past participle hit the high notes)

1. (idiomatic) To produce or attain, at least for a period of time, an especially satisfactory degree of achievement or fulfilment.
   • 2008 April 24, Leslie Kelly, “Sound and bites pair well at these places”, in Seattle Post-Intelligencer, retrieved 16 November 2017:

     The flavors of the food hit the high notes: the rightly famous Canlis salad, the signature Peter Canlis sweet prawns floating on a sea of butter, and a succulent Kobe-style steak.

   • 2009 September 16, Bobbie Johnson, “How exactly is Facebook making money?”, in Guardian, UK, retrieved 16 November 2017:

     If all that extra money isn't being used to shore up vital day-to-day Facebook operations, that's probably good news—but whatever the case, the site hasn't hit the high notes quite yet.

   • 2014 September 25, David Brooks, “Routine, Creativity and President Obama’s U.N. Speech”, in New York Times, retrieved 16 November 2017:

     During his public life, Obama has hit the high notes of poetic romance — his 2008 campaign.

See also

• end on a high note