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The earliest known citation is from John Badcock, in Domestic Amusements, 1823 (referring to a sea voyage):
"The severity of the climate having compelled them to batten down and caulk their abiding place."
A batten is a strip of wood. Caulking is the filling of gaps with oakum of similar, to prevent leaking. That's 'battening down' in a general sense. The first citation of the explicit use of the phrase 'batten down the hatches' is from the 1883 Chambers Journal:
"Batten down the hatches - quick, men."
Hatches are the wooden access to the lower deck of the ship.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoDown the hatch: swallow a drink in one gulp
Not necessarily in one gulp - it just means to pour something down your esophagus, or to drink something.
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What does it mean distill down?
Distill down, or boil down, as an idiom, means to get to the essence of something, or to simplify it.
What does the idiom jumped down your throat mean?
If someone "jumps down your throat" it means they react very angrily about something you said.
What does cop a squat mean?
It means "sit down" in idiom slang. The original phrase was "pop a squat", the word "cop" is a dialect misunderstanding, but now both pop and cop are used in the idiom.
Is the sky is falling down an idiom?
People mean that it is the end of the world/
What does the idiom itchy nose mean?
It is not an idiom, it means your nose is itching.
What does the idiom down to business mean?
To do work and focus
What does it mean distill down?
Distill down, or boil down, as an idiom, means to get to the essence of something, or to simplify it.
What does the idiom down and down mean?
I've never heard that idiom before. Perhaps you mean DOWN AND OUT, which means that the person is at a low point in their life, that they're poor in every way and not likely to make a success at anything in the near future.
What does the idiom pull a chair up mean?
sit down come over to
What does the idiom when you are feeling down in the mouth mean?
The idiom "feeling down in the mouth" means feeling sad or unhappy. It refers to someone looking sorrowful or melancholic, with their mouth turned downwards indicating their emotional state.
What does zero in mean?
This is an idiom meaning to narrow your focus down. It can also mean to narrow your aim and focus on one thing to hit. Picture the zero as a target and you get the idea of the idiom.
What does the idiom jumped down your throat mean?
If someone "jumps down your throat" it means they react very angrily about something you said.
What does the idiom it came down to the wire and we almost missed your flight mean?
The idiom down to the wire means to the very last possible moment. Therefore, the entire phrase would stand to mean that "it went to the very last split second and we almost missed your flight, but made it."
What does the idiom took a seat mean?
The idiom "took a seat" means to sit down or find a place to sit. It is commonly used to describe someone sitting down in a chair, on a bench, or in a designated area for seating.
What does lay on the hay mean?
This is not an idiom. The verb "lay" is the past tense of "lie," and means that whatever or whoever the subject of the sentence may be, they were laying down on top of some hay.
What does the idiom cut you down to size mean?
Teach you a lesson.It means to deflate your ego, to humble you in front of your peers.
What does cop a squat mean?
It means "sit down" in idiom slang. The original phrase was "pop a squat", the word "cop" is a dialect misunderstanding, but now both pop and cop are used in the idiom.
