What does battened down the hatches mean?
Prepare for trouble
Prepare for trouble, as in Here comes the boss—batten down the hatches. This term originated in the navy, where it signified preparing for a storm by fastening down canvas over doorways and hatches (openings) with strips of wood called battens. [
What does it mean to batten down?
1 : to prepare for possible trouble or difficulty People are battening down in preparation for a fierce storm. 2 : to tie, close, or cover (something) in order to prevent it from moving or becoming damaged Everything on the ship’s deck was battened down.
How do you spell baton as in batten down the hatches?
What Is the Origin of the Saying “To Batten Down the Hatches”? To batten down the hatches means to prepare for pending trouble. To batten down the hatches is a nautical term from the early 19th century. When a ship was about to enter rough seas, the captain would order the crew to batten down the hatches.
Where did batten the hatches come from?
The origin of this phrase comes from the medieval times when travelling by ship was commonplace in order to go to a new territory. The English used this way of travel to form colonies around the world. The word ‘hatch’ literally refers to the opening in the deck space of the ship.
What does batten down the hatches mean Wikipedia?
to fasten the entrances to the lower part of a ship using wooden boards. to prepare for a difficult situation: When you’re coming down with the flu all you can do is batten down the hatches and wait for it to pass.
What is a batten on a ship?
Battens are long, thin strips of material, historically wooden but today usually fiberglass, vinyl, or carbon fiber, used to support the roach of a sail. They are also used on tall ships to form the ladders up the shrouds in a fashion similar to ratlines.
What is a hatch tarpaulin?
A hatch is an opening in the deck of a ship, usually rectangular in shape. When you’re shipping white water over the bow you don’t want openings in your deck. So, to prepare for high winds and heavy seas, you would batten down your hatches. To do this you need is a big piece of canvas tarpaulin, larger than your hatch.
Is batten down the hatches a metaphor?
Explanation: In this metaphor, batten down the hatches is a saying that sailors would say when there was a storm approaching. They would secure the hatches or the doors leading to the ship below. When it is used now, it usually means that something bad is happening and everybody needs to help prepare for it.
What does a huntress mean?
woman who hunts
: a woman who hunts game also : a female animal that hunts prey.
What is sail roach?
Roach is a term also applied to square sail design—it is the arc of a circle above a straight line from clew to clew at the foot of a square sail, from which sail material is omitted. The roach allows the foot of the sail to clear stays coming up the mast, as the sails are rotated from side to side.
How do you secure hatch covers?
Once opened, hatch covers should be secured properly, using the chain stoppers, chocks or other devices recommended by the manufacturers. Hatch openings should be well-illuminated and if there are guard rails and stanchions fitted, these need to be fixed into place.
How do you batten hatch?
Here’s how.
- Grab the grating and place it in the hatch.
- Take a big piece of canvas tarpaulin and lay it over the hatch.
- Now, take four battens—long, thin strips of wood-like yardsticks.
- Nail those battens into each side of the hatch, securing the canvas tightly across the top.
What does it mean to batten down the hatches?
If you batten down the hatches, you prepare for a difficult situation by doing everything you can to protect yourself. While most companies are battening down the hatches, fearing recession, Blenheim is leading an assault on the US market. Banks seem to be battening down the hatches in anticipation of further trouble.
When did they batten down the hatches in the seventies?
1998 Oldie They endured the hard pounding of the Seventies, when Labour battened down the hatches, and soldiered through the follies of the early Eighties. prepare yourself for a period of difficulty or trouble: Hollywood is battening down the hatches in expectation of a strike by actors and writers this summer.
What are the hatches on a ship called?
Ships’ hatches, more formally called hatchways, were commonplace on sailing ships and were normally either open or covered with a wooden grating to allow for ventilation of the lower decks.
