hump the hill

[dedicatedenglish]

"Hump" has a definition in the MW: exert oneself vigorously.

Is this sentence understandable to native speakers?

I humped the hill yesterday and nearly broke my back on the way down.

 

[SoothingDave]

No, don't do this.

"Hump" is a slang for engaging in sexual intercourse.

 

[dedicatedenglish]

So the OP sentence wouldn't make sense?

 

[SoothingDave]

It does, but that word is best avoided in general.

 

[Skrej]

Context will make it clear when it's sexual, so I wouldn't worry too much about avoiding it. However, when it's used to refer to exertion, it's typically about carrying something.

My back is killing me after humping all those bags of soil yesterday.

There's also the phrasal verb 'hump it', meaning to move quickly or hustle.

You'd better hump it if you want to reach the finish line in time.

I find the original marginally understandable, but not very natural.

 

[tedmc]

I humped the hill yesterday and nearly broke my back on the way down.

Assuming "hump" in the context means "exerting yourself vigorously", it is still not clear what you want to say by "exert yourself vigorously on the way down the hill".

 

[dedicatedenglish]

Assuming "hump" in the context means "exerting yourself vigorously", it is still not clear what you want to say by "exert yourself vigorously on the way down the hill".

That's an interesting observation. "Hump the hill" implies climbing up the hill.

 

[emsr2d2]

That's an interesting observation. "Hump the hill" implies climbing up the hill.

Who told you it means that?

 

[Tarheel]

I googled "hump the hill". The first and only thing that showed up was this thread. (Other things showed up, but not with those words.)

 

[dedicatedenglish]

Who told you it means that?

That's my association with exerting myself vigorously.

 

[emsr2d2]

That's my association with exerting myself vigorously.

Unfortunately, your association doesn't work. There's no indication from anyone here or from the internet that "hump the hill" means "climb up a hill".