'To batten down the hatches' definitions:

Definition of 'To batten down the hatches'

From: GCIDE
  • Hatch \Hatch\, n. [OE. hacche, AS. h[ae]c, cf. haca the bar of a door, D. hek gate, Sw. h[aum]ck coop, rack, Dan. hekke manger, rack. Prob. akin to E. hook, and first used of something made of pieces fastened together. Cf. Heck, Hack a frame.]
  • 1. A door with an opening over it; a half door, sometimes set with spikes on the upper edge. [1913 Webster]
  • In at the window, or else o'er the hatch. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. A frame or weir in a river, for catching fish. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. A flood gate; a sluice gate. --Ainsworth. [1913 Webster]
  • 4. A bedstead. [Scot.] --Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster]
  • 5. An opening in the deck of a vessel or floor of a warehouse which serves as a passageway or hoistway; a hatchway; also; a cover or door, or one of the covers used in closing such an opening. [1913 Webster]
  • 6. (Mining) An opening into, or in search of, a mine. [1913 Webster]
  • Booby hatch, Buttery hatch, Companion hatch, etc. See under Booby, Buttery, etc.
  • To batten down the hatches (Naut.), to lay tarpaulins over them, and secure them with battens.
  • To be under hatches, to be confined below in a vessel; to be under arrest, or in slavery, distress, etc. [1913 Webster]