circle the wagons

Related to circle the wagons: circle the waggons

circle the wagons

1. To become defensive. (Conestoga wagons under attack were traditionally brought into a circular defensive position.) I'm not questioning your decision, so don't circle the wagons—I'm just looking for some more information.
2. To confer only with people within a trusted group. Callie's new group of friends really circles the wagons, so she hardly talks to me anymore. Circle the wagons, people. We can't have word of this getting out to the press.
See also: circle, wagon
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

circle the wagons

mainly AMERICAN
If a group of people who are in difficulty or danger circle the wagons, they unite in order to protect themselves and fight whoever is attacking them. She accused Collier and other senior officials of trying to circle the wagons in their recent defense of the bureau's performance. Note: You can also say that people pull or get their wagons in a circle. This is designed to get the wagons in a circle and defend the smoking franchise. Note: These expressions are usually used to show disapproval. Note: According to some Wild West stories, when wagon trains were attacked by Native Americans, the settlers drove the wagons into a circle in order to defend themselves better.
See also: circle, wagon
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

circle the wagons

(of a group) unite in defence of a common interest. North American informal
In South Africa the Afrikaans word laager , meaning ‘a defensive circle of ox wagons’, is used in similar metaphorical contexts.
See also: circle, wagon
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

circle the wagons

To take a defensive position; become defensive.
See also: circle, wagon
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.

circle the wagons!

Prepare your defenses. A line in Western movies, when the Indians were about to attack a wagon train, was the wagon master's shout to “circle the wagons!” The Conestogas and prairie schooners then formed a circle to make a barricade behind which men fired their rifles at their attackers who galloped around the perimeter while the womenfolk reloaded the weapons or tended to the injured. (Another “oater” convention had the cavalry appear over the horizon and charge to the rescue). You didn't have to wear a ten-gallon hat and carry a Winchester 73 to use the phrase. When trouble appeared, such as an advertising agency about to lose an important account, a “Mad Man” would summon his department with a “Let's get the wagons in a circle and save this sinking ship” (mixed metaphors were not unknown in the advertising business).
See also: circle
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price
See also:
  • be at a disadvantage
  • at a disadvantage
  • address (one's) comments to (someone or something)
  • address comments or remarks to
  • address (one's) remarks to (someone or something)
  • be in it for
  • be more than (something)
  • be more than glad, ready, etc.
  • away from it all
  • be out of (one's) head
References in periodicals archive
The Commission's package, on the other hand, looks like a real attempt to "circle the wagons" around systemically important banks, and break the vicious circle between banks and sovereigns.
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The researchers go on to indicate that negative feelings may send a signal that it's time to circle the wagons and stick with the "tried and true".
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Aside from the understandable tendency to circle the wagons around our faith and its traditions, how are Christians called upon to respond to these events?
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Although I knew it would be tough, I wrongly and overconfidently believed in my ability to circle the wagons without our coaches, introducing a new philosophy.
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They're under attack and that ironically reinforces the problem that got us into this in the first place: Circle the wagons and protect one another.
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He continues in this vein, and is scathing about the "cultural deficiencies of the Prison Service." Instead of "holding up their hands and admitting a mistake," when something goes wrong "they circle the wagons, and protect each other, which allows insti tutional inertia to set in, whereby one level of the Prison Service supports another level of the Prison Service, which supports another level of the Prison Service."
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What this man said was typical of far too many hospital consultants, always ready to circle the wagons to protect himself and any incompetent mates from legitimate scrutiny.
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And if something does go wrong, the initial instinct is to circle the wagons. Which is exactly what happened at United Way.
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This often takes the form of an effort to circle the wagons" and deny the existence of this threat to their economic well-being and professional authority.
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The eire has been left reeling by the changes, but at least he managed to circle the wagons and ensure Forest ended Clough's run of three straight wins in the bitter battle of the East Midlands.
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However, the Spanish banking system clearly is big enough to threaten the euro and so the crisis really hangs on the ability of the European Central Bank (ECB) and other authorities to circle the wagons around those banks and limit contagion.
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The insider said: "What we're getting from the SFL is the 'circle the wagons' mentality'.
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LaMountain said, "It was a nice feeling to see us circle the wagons around one of our own."
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