hit the road
idiom

- to leave a place or begin a journey

(Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary)

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WORD ORIGIN
The exact origin of the phrase "hit the road" is unclear, but Allen’s English Phrases cites usage of the word "hit" in the context of reaching a destination as far back as the 16th century.

Since hit expresses the concept of striking something with force, in this phrase it likely derived from the idea of a foot or shoe touching the ground or road. When used in the imperative, hit the road! is a way to tell someone to leave.

Not unlike its German counterpart Schlag/schlagen, hit is extremely versatile and can be applied in a wealth of useful expressions:

- hit the hay, hit the sack = go to bed

- hit the spot = when something provides complete satisfaction, especially food or drink

- hit the jackpot, hit it big = to be suddenly successful

- hit the roof/ceiling = to become extremely angry

- hit the nail on the head = to be absolutely right about something

- hit the fan = when something bad or adverse happens

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SYNONYMS

take off, move on, sally forth, scram, beat it, ride off, run along, set out, split, vamoose, head out, get going, hit the trail, pound the pavement, leave

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Practice OWAD in a conversation today.
say something like:

"It's getting late. I think I'll HIT THE ROAD."