Dictionary
Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
fold one's tent en · VERB
Pronunciation
Meanings
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(idiomatic) To withdraw, especially in a discreet manner; to disengage; to quit.
"I won't quietly fold my tent and go away," snapped Sister Catherine.
1982 September 27, “No Mercy for the Sisters”, in Time:1844, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "The Day is Done" (proem to The Waif), lines 41-44,
And the night shall be filled with music,
And the cares that infest the day
Shall fold their tents like the Arabs,
And as silently steal away.
Following the failure of the Quilty forces to obtain the BL/GPA endorsement in June, the PAC folded its tents and did not meet again.
1983 December 17, William J. Hutchinson, “Whither Bl/GPA?”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 22, page 6:There are a good number of Democrats who are unhappy with John Kerry, thinking he folded his tent without a fight.
2005 January 6, Terry Neal, “Talking Points Live”, in Washington Post, retrieved 10 Aug 2008:
Forms
Synonyms
stand down · cut and run · chicken out