hit the books vs con

hit the books is not a noun while con is a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
hit the books	No	No	Yes	No
con	Yes	No	Yes	Yes

As verbs, con is a hyponym of hit the books; that is, con is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than hit the books:

Other hyponyms of hit the books include learn, memorise, memorize, bone, bone up, cram, drum, get up, grind away, mug up, swot, swot up.

hit the books (noun)	con (noun)
	a swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a person to buy worthless property
	an argument opposed to a proposal
	a person serving a sentence in a jail or prison

hit the books (verb)	con (verb)
learn by reading books	commit to memory; learn by heart
	deprive of by deceit

hit the books (adverb)	con (adverb)
	in opposition to a proposition, opinion, etc.