hole up
To stay in a particular place as a refuge from something. We just holed up at home with some good movies while it snowed all weekend. The cops are going to find us holed up here eventually. During this heatwave, I'm very happy to just hole up indoors with the AC blasting.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
hole up
(somewhere) 1. to take shelter somewhere. During the blizzard, we holed up in a lean-to made of branches. Looks like bad weather coming. We'd better find a place to hole up.
2. to hide somewhere. The police are looking for me. I need somewhere to hole up. The outlaw holed up in a cave.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
hole up
Take refuge or shelter, hide, as in I spent most of the cruise holed up in my cabin. This usage alludes to animals hibernating in winter or hiding from attack in caves or holes. [Late 1800s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
hole up
v.1. To hibernate in or as if in a hole: The weather outside was cold, so the rabbits holed up in their warren.
2. To take refuge in or as if in a hideout: The thieves holed up in a remote cabin until the police stopped looking for them.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
hole up
in. to hide (somewhere). I just want to hole up until the whole matter is settled.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.