What Does "Batten Down the Hatches" Mean?
"Batten down the hatches" is an English idiom. It means "to prepare for a difficult or problematic situation; originally a nautical term."Examples in Sentences
Here are three examples of the idiom "batten down the hatches" used in a sentence:- There's a storm coming, so batten down the hatches!
- With the economy taking a downturn, we need to batten down the hatches and save money.
- When he heard the auditors were coming, he told everyone to batten down the hatches.
What Is an Idiom?
An idiom is a commonly used expression whose meaning does not relate to the literal meaning of its words. In other words, if you were to translate "Batten Down the Hatches" word for word, there is no guarantee the translation would help you to understand the meaning.An idiom often includes a cultural or historical context that makes it difficult for non-native English speakers to understand. A phrase is classified as an idiom when a direct translation of the words does not reveal the meaning. Most idioms rely on shared knowledge or experiences known only to a specific community.
A Quick Test
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