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batten down the hatches |
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batten down the hatches Fig. to prepare for difficult times. (From a nautical expression meaning, literally, to seal the hatches against the arrival of a storm. The word order is fixed.) Here comes that contentious Mrs. Jones. Batten down the hatches! Batten down the hatches, Congress is in session again. See also: hatch batten down the hatches to prepare yourself for a difficult period by protecting yourself in every possible way Usage notes: When there is a storm, ships batten down the hatches (= close the doors to the outside) as protection against bad weather. When you're coming down with a cold, all you can do is batten down the hatches and wait for the body to fight it off. See also: hatch How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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We started by thinking, 'How can we batten down the hatches and ride out an epidemic? When the wind blows, you must batten down the hatches, lock the latches and secure the quick release pins and fasteners for all doors. These days, the Hales have been forced to batten down the hatches. |
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