Printer Friendly
The Free Dictionary
1,076,046,382 visitors served.
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

bay
(redirected from held at bay)

    Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Encyclopedia, Hutchinson 0.10 sec.
be baying for blood (British)
if a group of people are baying for blood, they want someone to be hurt or punished. Families of the victims were baying for blood during the trial.
See also: blood

keep something/someone at bay

to prevent something or someone unpleasant from coming too near you or harming you. If we can keep the rabbits at bay, we should have a good crop of vegetables in the garden. For me, overeating is a way of keeping my feelings at bay.
See also: keep
keep someone at bay
to prevent someone from moving closer. He held the police at bay with a gun for several hours.
See also: keep

keep something at bay

to control something and prevent it from causing you problems. She fought to keep her unhappiness at bay. In the garden, there's no security system to keep the rabbits at bay. Experts hope the economy will slow enough to keep inflation at bay.
See also: keep


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.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
 Email
Feedback
? References in periodicals archive
Police dogs were held at bay, their handlers reluctant to send them into the attic for fear they would fall through the false ceiling, Norian said.
ESCAPE AT COURTHOUSE DEPUTIES CAPTURE INMATE AFTER SEARCH by Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)
With only a single narrow doorway in the far corner of living space, one at the end of the lower block and one to one side of the main bedroom, nature is held at bay and provides a backdrop.
In the woods: an architect's own house in the Hudson Valley is ... by Croft, Catherine / The Architectural Review
He held at bay two greedy foreign imperialist powers, Russia and China; he oversaw the settlement of an almost empty land; and he helped to lay the foundations of Manchuria's industrial economy.
Civil Government in Warlord China: Tradition, Modernization and ... by Lary, Diana / Pacific Affairs
More results
 
Idioms browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Idioms and phrases
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2008 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.. Terms of Use.