Prepare for trouble, as in Here comes the boss--batten down the hatches. This term originated in the navy, where it signified preparing for a storm by fastening down canvas over doorways and hatches (openings) with strips of wood called battens. [Late 1800s]
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Batten down the hatches
American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms:
batten down the hatches |
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 | batten |
| A Lilith Thanksgiving: Frasier (TV Episode) (1996 Comedy TV Episode) |
| hatch |
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 | American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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