| up to the hilt (up) to the hilt 1. if you do something to the hilt, you do it in the strongest and most complete way that you can. All through the trial, he has backed his wife up to the hilt. They took the new aircraft and tested it to the hilt. 2. if you borrow to the hilt, you borrow as much money as you can, often so much that it is difficult to pay it back. We can't raise any more money - we're mortgaged up to the hilt as it is. With the government borrowing up to the hilt we can expect tax rises. |