Englishhold the fort
Meaning: To take care of a place or to keep an activity going while someone is away.
Example: “Can you hold the fort at the shop while I run to the bank?”
Origin: Traceable to a specific moment, though not quite in the form the story usually takes. During the Atlanta campaign in 1864, General Sherman signaled the besieged garrison at Allatoona Pass that relief was on its way. His actual message was not the memorable sentence later attributed to him, but a compressed popular version — hold the fort, I am coming — spread rapidly afterward. What fixed it permanently in English was not the battle but a hymn: Philip Bliss wrote a gospel song titled "Hold the Fort" in 1870, built directly on the story, and it became enormously popular in revival meetings on both sides of the Atlantic. The phrase's modern use for minding things briefly in someone's absence is a considerable demotion from holding a position under siege.
More English idioms
- in a pinch In an emergency; if necessary.
- in a rut In a boring routine.
- in Dutch with someone In trouble.
- in full swing At the peak of activity or intensity.
- in one's element In one's most comfortable or favorite environment.
- have someone in stitches To make someone laugh very hard.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- Без царя в голове (Bez tsarya v golove) Foolish and reckless — with no one in charge upstairs.
- Cabeça de alho chocho A forgetful scatterbrain whose thoughts won't stay put.
- Tu es mon rayon de soleil A warm way to tell someone they brighten your day.
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