beat a hasty retreat
beat a hasty retreat
Meaning | Synonyms
- abandon something (speedily)
- to leave a place because it is dangerous or unpleasant
- to withdraw oneself from a situation (usually a negative one)
- beat a hasty retreat
- runoff
- run away
- head off
- flee
- escape
Example Sentences
- Once I realized that John was going to be at the party, I beat a hasty retreat.
- After spotting my ex-boss in the restaurant, I beat a hasty retreat.
- My wife seems to be in a very bad mood today. I am going to beat a hasty retreat before I make it worse.
- The courier boy beat a hasty retreat when he heard the dog's furious barking from the back of the house.
Origin
The phrase has been used since the 1300s. In earlier times a drum would be used to signal to soldiers that fighting was done for the day and it was time to retire to bed. Today it is only used in a figurative way.
One of the earliest examples of the phrase can be found in the Kentish Gazette from 1827:
“and obliged to beat a hasty retreat across the rope-walk to the sea…”
The earliest reference to the action, however, is noted in this command from an officer in the Army of James II in 1690:
“The generalle [the signal to get up and start fighting again] to be beateatt 3 clock in ye morning. Ye retreate to beateatt 9 att night…”
The word retreat comes from the Old French word retrait, meaning “to draw back.”