The Collaborative International Dictionary
Hoof \Hoof\, v. i.
To walk as cattle. [R.]
--William Scott.-
To be on a tramp; to foot. [Slang, U.S.]
To hoof it, to foot it.
On the hoof, of cattle, standing (on the hoof); not slaughtered.
beef on the hoof, live cattle.
Wiktionary
a. (context of cattle English) that has not yet been butchered adv. (context of a human activity such as eating English) whilst standing
Usage examples of "on the hoof".
Besides, the thought of encountering four opponents, who probably totaled well over seven hundred pounds on the hoof, was something no reasonable man would go out of his way to look for.
He's a cattle dealer, all his life he's been judging animals on the hoof.
He reached forward, but as he did so the smith swung a hot horseshoe out of his fire and clapped it briefly on the hoof clenched between his knees.
What was the profit in stealing meat on the hoof that you had no hope of selling?