Also, beat a hasty retreat. Reverse course or withdraw, usually quickly. For example, I really don't want to run into Jeff-let's beat a retreat. This term originally (1300s) referred to the military practice of sounding drums to call back troops. Today it is used only figuratively, as in the example above.
I beat a very hasty retreat and the committee pretended that they hadn't seen anything. I then spotted him in the corner and beat a hasty retreat. We beat a hasty retreat to the nearby town of Petersfield. A hasty movement, action, or statement is sudden, and often done in reaction to something that has just happened.
So, a retreat wasn't a signal to fall back and give up occupied land as it is now but a signal to retire to bed. The earliest references to the retreat come from the mid-17th century, as in this command from an officer in the Army of James II in 1690:
beat a (hasty/quick) retreat, to To withdraw, back down, or reverse course, usually without delay. The term comes from the military practice of sounding drums to recall troops behind the lines, or to some other position. In earlier days wind instruments, most often trumpets, were used for …
beat a (hasty/quick) retreat, to To withdraw, back down, or reverse course, usually without delay. The term comes from the military practice of sounding drums to recall troops behind the lines, …
beat a (hasty/quick) retreat, to To withdraw, back down, or reverse course, usually without delay. The term comes from the military practice of sounding drums to recall troops behind the lines, …
What's the meaning of the phrase 'Beat a hasty retreat'? Withdraw rapidly. What's the origin of the phrase 'Beat a hasty retreat'? This is a relatively recent phrase and is a commonly used cliché …
Beat-a-hasty-retreat definition Meanings To leave as quickly as possible. verb 0 0 Advertisement Origin of beat-a-hasty-retreat Originally a military term, referring to the pace set by drummers in …
beat a retreat To make a hasty withdrawal. beat around/about the bush To fail to confront a subject directly. beat it Slang To leave hurriedly. beat the bushes To make an exhaustive …
We beat a hasty retreat to the nearby town of Petersfield. Times, Sunday Times (2013) Definition of 'hasty' hasty (heɪsti ) Explore 'hasty' in the dictionary adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun] A …
1. a heartbeat resulting from the production of a ventricular complex by a supraventricular source following a period of atrioventricular dissociation. 2. in cardiac pacing terminology, the …