hold the fort
look after things while I'm away
TRANSLATION
hold the fort = die Stellung halten --- GOOGLE INDEX hold the fort: approximately 2,500,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Occupy LA protester Anthony Candelaria, 21, a college student among the crowd gathered at City Hall, said before the raid began that he planned to "HOLD THE FORT until they drag us out by our feet."
(Reuters news service)
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New research suggests that staff absenteeism is putting additional stress on employees who are left to HOLD THE FORT.
(Health Insurance and Protection magazine)
(Reuters news service)
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New research suggests that staff absenteeism is putting additional stress on employees who are left to HOLD THE FORT.
(Health Insurance and Protection magazine)
Did you
know?
hold the fort
idiom
- to be left in charge of a situation or place while someone is away
(Cambridge Idioms Dictionary)
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A fort is a military building consisting of an area surrounded by a strong wall, in which soldiers live and which is designed to be defended from attack. The word stems from the Latin "fortis," meaning "strong, mighty, firm, steadfast." The military context of "hold" has long referred to "keeping forcibly against an adversary - to defend or occupy". If the commander of a fort decided to take some of his forces on a mission, he would always have to leave someone in charge to defend, or hold, the fort against enemy attacks.
Anyone who has watched Hollywood westerns is familiar with the important role forts played in 18th and 19th century America. One of the most well known was the Alamo, a Texas fort that was overrun by Mexican troops in 1836, leaving all of the defenders dead except two. This event was the origin of the battle cry "Remember the Alamo," although it's unclear who, if anyone, actually said it. But history is full of famous quotes that have dubious origins.
Hold the fort is another example. Legend has it that American Civil war general William Sherman, who burned down Atlanta (remember Gone With The Wind?), used this expression as an order to troops who were stationed at Fort Hood in Georgia. Some historians suggest that he actually said "Hold out, relief is coming," which basically meant, "hold on, help is on the way." As often happens, the original phrase was either misquoted or paraphrased into "hold the fort." In any case, Sherman's famous order, in its modified form, popularised the use of this expression.
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Would you mind holding the fort while I go to lunch?"
idiom
- to be left in charge of a situation or place while someone is away
(Cambridge Idioms Dictionary)
---
A fort is a military building consisting of an area surrounded by a strong wall, in which soldiers live and which is designed to be defended from attack. The word stems from the Latin "fortis," meaning "strong, mighty, firm, steadfast." The military context of "hold" has long referred to "keeping forcibly against an adversary - to defend or occupy". If the commander of a fort decided to take some of his forces on a mission, he would always have to leave someone in charge to defend, or hold, the fort against enemy attacks.
Anyone who has watched Hollywood westerns is familiar with the important role forts played in 18th and 19th century America. One of the most well known was the Alamo, a Texas fort that was overrun by Mexican troops in 1836, leaving all of the defenders dead except two. This event was the origin of the battle cry "Remember the Alamo," although it's unclear who, if anyone, actually said it. But history is full of famous quotes that have dubious origins.
Hold the fort is another example. Legend has it that American Civil war general William Sherman, who burned down Atlanta (remember Gone With The Wind?), used this expression as an order to troops who were stationed at Fort Hood in Georgia. Some historians suggest that he actually said "Hold out, relief is coming," which basically meant, "hold on, help is on the way." As often happens, the original phrase was either misquoted or paraphrased into "hold the fort." In any case, Sherman's famous order, in its modified form, popularised the use of this expression.
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Would you mind holding the fort while I go to lunch?"
