What can I say instead of hold down the fort?

What is another word for hold the fort?

What does the phrase hold down the fort mean?

Definition of hold down the fort : to be in charge of a place while the person who is usually in charge is away You can stay here and hold down the fort while I go to the store.

Where does the term hold down the fort come from?

This expression has been traced to an order given by General William Tecumseh Sherman in 1864, which was repeated as “Hold the fort [against the enemy at Allatoona] at all costs, for I am coming.”

What does manning the fort mean?

(idiomatic) To take care of a place or situation in another’s absence.

Is call a spade a spade?

Definition. “Call a spade a spade” or “call a spade a shovel” are both forms of the figurative expression which state that the speaker should call, or has called, a noun by its most suitable name without any reservation to the strained formalities that may result.

What is holding the fort?

phrase. If you hold the fort for someone or if you hold down the fort, you take care of things for them while they are somewhere else or are busy doing something else. His business partner is holding the fort while he is away.

Is hold down the fort a phrase?

The idiom hold the fort began as a literal, military phrase, meaning to defend a fort while waiting for reinforcements or resupply. The variation hold down the fort is an Americanism that came into use in the late 1800s-early 1900s, using the slang phrase hold down which meant to occupy.

Is hold the fort a metaphor?

To ‘hold the fort’ is a military metaphor borrowing the imagery of siege warfare (a small force holds the fort against a besieging enemy awaiting relief from a field army).

What does minding the fort mean?

To mind or take charge of a location during the time in which it is unattended by another.

What does man the ship mean?

to supply with people, as for service:to man the ship.

Why are spades called spades?

‘ The first ‘spade,’ the implement, is descended directly from the Old English word ‘spadu,’ which meant ‘a digging tool. A broad-bladed sword was used on Italian playing cards as the symbol of a suit, and this suit was called ‘spades’ in English.

What does spades stand for?

Spade. The spade represents a leaf of the “cosmic” tree, and thus life. Along with its companion suit, clubs, spades represent fall and winter and the power of darkness. In the Tarot, they symbolize intellect, action, air, and death.

What did it mean to ” hold down the fort “?

To “hold down the fort” originally meant to watch and protect against the vicious Native American intruders. In the territories of the West, Army soldiers or settlers saw the “fort” as their refuge from their perceived “enemy,” the stereotypical “savage” Native American tribes.

What happens when offensive holding is called in football?

If offensive holding is committed from inside the offense’s own end zone, then a safety is called, which results in two points for the defense, as well as possession of the ball. Defensive holding is a five-yard penalty, and also results in an automatic first down for the offense.

When does offensive holding nullify a positive yardage?

For instance, if it is first and ten with the ball on the thirty-yard line and offensive holding is committed, it will then be first and twenty, still from the thirty-yard line. Any positive yardage accumulated prior to the holding on the play is nullified.

When does an offensive player hold a defensive player?

Offensive holding is called when an offensive player grabs, pulls, or holds a defensive player with the intent of opening up a hole or route for a ball-carrier or preventing the defensive player from reaching the quarterback. Defensive holding is most commonly called when a defensive player grabs or holds an offensive player downfield.