etymology - Where does the phrase "hold down the fort" come from?


When someone speaks of "holding down the fort," it basically means keeping an eye on things temporarily while the person in charge is away. The expression seems rather nonsensical, though; a fort is a large, solid building constructed as a stronghold. A person in an actual fort might need to hold up the fort (or its walls) if it came under attack, but you don't hold down an inanimate object that is too heavy for the wind to blow away. So where does the term originate?




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