What does the phrase keeping it at bay mean?
: in the position of being unable to move closer while attacking or trying to approach someone —used with keep or hold The soldiers kept the attackers at bay. —often used figuratively The doctors have been able to keep her illness at bay for several months.
Where does the expression at bay come from?
The Old French words ‘abbay’ or ‘abai’ mean ‘barking’. These came into English, first as ‘abay’ and later as ‘at bay’. Hounds that were barking were said in the 14th century to be ‘at a bay’.
How do you use keep at bay in a sentence?
The phrase ‘keep something at bay’ means; that you try to stop a problematic situation from getting closer to you. Example in use: “That kid is very problematic; I am doing my best to keep him at bay.”
What’s nail in the coffin means?
Definition of a nail in the/someone’s coffin : something that makes it more likely that someone or something will fail, be destroyed, etc. Every mistake is one more nail in the coffin of his professional baseball career. The lawyers put another nail in her coffin today.
What does let sleeping dogs lie?
: to ignore a problem because trying to deal with it could cause an even more difficult situation I thought about bringing up my concerns but decided instead to let sleeping dogs lie.
What does keep the dogs at bay mean?
This expression comes from hunting. One of the definitions of bay is to bark. Sometimes, the dogs will trap the animal, and keep it away by barking. This allows the hunters time to approach and get the animal.
What figure of speech is keep at bay?
idiom
An idiom is a metaphorical figure of speech, and it is understood that it is not a use of literal language.
Will keep them at bay?
If you keep something or someone at bay, or hold them at bay, you prevent them from reaching, attacking, or affecting you.
Do not press an enemy at bay meaning?
or to keep someone at bay. phrase. If you keep something or someone at bay, or hold them at bay, you prevent them from reaching, attacking, or affecting you.
What is the meaning of Final Straw?
Definition of the final/last straw : the last in a series of bad things that happen to make someone very upset, angry, etc. It had been a difficult week, so when the car broke down, it was the last straw.