hatch

2
[ hach ]
/ hætʃ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR hatch ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Idioms for hatch

    batten down the/one's hatches,
    1. Nautical. prepare for stormy weather: used as a command.
    2. to prepare to meet an emergency or face a great difficulty: The government must batten down its hatches before the election.

Origin of hatch

2
before 1100; Middle English hacche, Old English hæcc grating, hatch, half-gate; akin to Dutch hek gate, railing

Words nearby hatch

hat-trick, hatable, hatasu, hatband, hatbox, hatch, hatch act, hatch boat, hatchback, hatcheck, hatchel

British Dictionary definitions for batten down the hatches (1 of 4)

hatch 1
/ (hætʃ) /

verb

to cause (the young of various animals, esp birds) to emerge from the egg or (of young birds, etc) to emerge from the egg
to cause (eggs) to break and release the fully developed young or (of eggs) to break and release the young animal within
(tr) to contrive or devise (a scheme, plot, etc)

noun

the act or process of hatching
a group of newly hatched animals

Derived forms of hatch

hatchable, adjective hatcher, noun

Word Origin for hatch

C13: of Germanic origin; compare Middle High German hecken to mate (used of birds), Swedish häcka to hatch, Danish hække

British Dictionary definitions for batten down the hatches (2 of 4)

hatch 2
/ (hætʃ) /

noun

Word Origin for hatch

Old English hæcc; related to Middle High German heck, Dutch hek gate

British Dictionary definitions for batten down the hatches (3 of 4)

hatch 3
/ (hætʃ) /

verb

art to mark (a figure, shade, etc) with fine parallel or crossed lines to indicate shading Compare hachure

Derived forms of hatch

hatching, noun

Word Origin for hatch

C15: from Old French hacher to chop, from hache hatchet

British Dictionary definitions for batten down the hatches (4 of 4)

hatch 4
/ (hætʃ) /

noun

informal short for hatchback

Idioms and Phrases with batten down the hatches (1 of 2)

batten down the hatches

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. [Late 1800s]

Idioms and Phrases with batten down the hatches (2 of 2)

hatch

see batten down the hatches; count one's chickens before they hatch; down the hatch.