What is the origin of 'sleep tight'?
Read moreOne of the mysteries of the English language finally explained.
noun
1The den of an animal, especially that of an otter.
- ‘Wild bird cover crops, an otter holt and boxes for owls, kestrels and bats all contribute to wildlife diversity.’
- ‘First, we scramble around rockpools in the furthest corner of the bay, to investigate an otter's holt, hidden under flat rocks.’
- ‘The otter holt is among the most popular displays.’
- ‘The trust has also built artificial holts in which otters can breed, and encouraged farmers, landowners and the public to do the same.’
- ‘A holt has been built on the banks of the River Wharfe to encourage the animals to continue using the river.’
- ‘They have built a false otter holt, or den, by the river - its exact location is a carefully kept secret - and there are unconfirmed reports that an otter-like creature has been seen in the location.’
2North American dialect A grip or hold.
- ‘But the new teacher, very wise, and understanding June's spirit, soon enough found a way to get a holt on the girl's heart strings.’
- ‘He couldn't get a holt on any money, so I told him about the Farmers' Loan’
Origin
Late Middle English (in holt (sense 2)): variant of hold.
Pronunciation
noun
dialect, archaicA wood or wooded hill.
- ‘Miller also refers to a change in this landscape, presumably after enclosure: ‘The crofts and garths, holms and holts… were no longer known’.’
high ground, rising ground, prominence, eminence, elevation, rise, hillock, mound, mount, knoll, hummock, tor, tump, fell, pike, mesaView synonyms
Origin
Old English, of Germanic origin; related to Middle Dutch hout and German Holz, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek klados ‘twig’.
