Rate this phrase:0.0 / 0 votes

batten down the hatches

Prepare for trouble.

Etymology:

  • From the practice aboard a ship of sealing hatches to prevent water getting below-decks in a storm by using covers secured by strips of material, called battens, firmly attached to the frame of the hatch opening.
25 Views
Collection   Edit    

Submitted on September 01, 2009

Additional definitions for 'batten down the hatches':

Batten Down the HatchesTo prepare for any sort of emergency before time by taking proper measures
See them all »

Translation

Find a translation for the batten down the hatches phrase in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to batten down the hatches

bear downbeat downbed them downbed downargue downa spoonful of sugar helps the medicine …bed downbatten downbear downa man hasn’t lost when he’s fallen down…beat downbear down onback downbear down

How to pronounce this phrase?

Discuss this batten down the hatches phrase with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this batten down the hatches definition to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "batten down the hatches." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/batten-down-the-hatches_2259>.

    Powered by CITE.ME Cite.Me

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a phrases master?

    »
    _______ his lips with anticipation.
    A pursing
    B licking
    C tensing
    D biting

    Browse Phrases.com

    #ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ