ENGLISH
REFERENCE

hike the Appalachian Trail

idiom
Meaning

To engage in an extramarital affair.


Origin

first recorded 21st c.

Referring to the excuse given by the spokesperson of the former Governor of South Carolina Mark Sanford during his disappearance from June 18 to June 24, 2009. Upon returning from his absence, Governor Sanford gave a press conference and confessed to having travelled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to visit a woman with whom he had been having an extramarital affair.

Examples
SIMPLE

He is hiking the Appalachian Trail with his secretary.

CONTEXTUAL

Everyone at the office suspected he was hiking the Appalachian Trail when he started staying late every night.

COMPLEX

Despite his public vows of fidelity, rumors persisted that he had been hiking the Appalachian Trail for months behind his wife's back.

Anchors to
Related idioms7entries
  1. 01

    blaze a trail

    To show the way or proceed rapidly.

  2. 02

    hike up

    To lift; to tug or pull upwards.

  3. 03

    hot on the trail

    Synonym of hot on someone's heels.

  4. 04

    paper trail

    A written record, history, or collection of evidence.

  5. 05

    sawdust trail

    The route followed by an itinerant Christian preacher in the United States.

  6. 06

    take a hike

    To go away; to leave or depart.

  7. 07

    throw off the trail

    To misguide.

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