batten down

batten down

To close, fasten, or secure something with battens, flexible strips of wood or plastic used to hold material down. A noun or pronoun can be used between "batten" and "down." Be sure to batten the sails down before the storm gets any worse! There's a tornado coming—batten down the basement door! One of us needs to batten down the windows before this storm makes landfall.

See also: batten, down

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