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Riding high

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Experiencing great success, confidence, or prosperity; suggests riding atop wave of achievement, enjoying elevated status, momentum, and favorable circumstances without obstruction.

Detailed Definition
Riding high means enjoying success, confidence, influence, or emotional elation. In poetry, the idiom suggests height, movement, and public visibility, as though the speaker is carried above ordinary ground. It can describe triumph in love, politics, sport, art, or fortune. Yet height also implies the possibility of falling, so poets may use it ironically or ominously. The phrase is useful for exploring the exhilaration of success and the instability that often accompanies being elevated.
Example
Example in poetry:
A victory poem might show the team riding high after the final whistle; In satire, the minister is riding high until one letter brings him down; The phrase means enjoying success, confidence, or good fortune; A poet can use it before a fall or as genuine celebration.
Additional Notes
Riding high means enjoying success, confidence, popularity, or good fortune. The height metaphor suggests elevation above ordinary difficulty, perhaps on a horse, wave, or social rise. In poetry, it can describe victory, fame, intoxication, youth, or pride before a fall. Students should ask whether the height is stable or precarious. It pairs well with saddles, banners, crests, applause, and the old pattern of ascent followed by reversal.
Also Known As
successful
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