cave
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an Aladdin's cave
A place full of treasures. (In The Arabian Nights, Aladdin finds a magic lamp in a cave.) I know you think your garage is full of junk, but to an antiques collector like me, it's an Aladdin's cave! Your playroom is like an Aladdin's cave for my kids—any toys that they don't have at home are positively enchanting! Ooh, I love thrifting! Secondhand shops are an Aladdin's cave for me.
cave in
1. verb To collapse into a hollow area below, as of a physical structure or formation. We were able to get the kids out of the house before the roof caved in.
2. verb To collapse, faint, or die, as from over-exertion. I hardly remember the end of the marathon because I caved in as soon as I crossed the finish line.
3. verb To submit, concede, or yield (to someone or something); to surrender or acknowledge defeat. Under the threat of a strike, the management caved in and agreed to reinstate annual pay increases for all employees.
4. noun A collapse into a hollow area below, as of a physical structure or formation. When used as a noun, the phrase is usually hyphenated. The fear of every miner is a cave-in.
See also: cave
keep cave
old-fashioned To remain vigilant or carefully watchful (for something or someone); to act as a guard or watch. In this phrase, "cave" derives from a Latin word meaning "beware." The gang employed youths from the area to keep cave and give a signal if any police officers arrived. I offered to keep cave at the door, as I had no intention of risking my life in that creepy old house.
man cave
A room or area of a house designated for a man to retreat from the rest of his family and relax or engage in hobbies. My husband is watching the football game in his man cave right now.
the roof caves in
The situation collapses; everything goes wrong. I was living paycheck to paycheck and getting by OK, but then the roof caved in. I lost my job, and then my car and my house. Our sales have been in a slump for months, and now with all these legal issues cropping up, it just feels like the roof is caving in on our company.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
cave in
[for a roof or ceiling] to collapse. The roof of the mine caved in when no one was there. The tunnel caved in on the train.
See also: cave
cave in (to someone or something)
Fig. to give in to someone or something. Finally, the manager caved in to the customer's demands. I refuse to cave in under pressure from my opponent.
See also: cave
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
cave in
1. Fall in, collapse, as in The earthquake made the walls cave in. [Early 1700s]
2. Give in, admit defeat, as in The prosecutor's questions soon made the witness cave in. [Early 1800s]
3. Collapse, faint, or die from exhaustion, as in After a twenty-mile hike I caved in. [Mid-1800s]
See also: cave
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.
an Aladdin's cave
a place full of valuable objects.keep cave
act as lookout. school slangCave is a Latin word meaning ‘beware!’ Pronounced as one or two syllables, cave was the traditional warning uttered by a schoolchild to let others know that a teacher was approaching.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
an Aladdin’s ˈcave
a place full of valuable or interesting objects: He kept for his private pleasure an Aladdin’s cave of stolen masterpieces.This expression comes from a story in The Arabian Nights. Aladdin was trapped in a cave full of gold and jewels by a magician.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
cave in
v.
To give way; collapse: The sides of the snow fort caved in. The mine shaft caved in on a group of miners, but fortunately they were rescued.
See also: cave
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.