Question

Hold the Fort to temporarily be responsible for watching over a place; to fight off trouble or keep watch

Accepted Answer

Our teacher was late, so the teacher next door held the fort in our room until he showed up. This expression comes from the military. It was widely used in books and early movies about the old West. Often when a fort was being attacked by enemies on the frontier or during the Civil War, the soldiers defending it were told, "Hold the fort. Don't give up. Help is on its way." Today you can "hold the fort" by watching the children in someone's house until a parent returns or by taking care of a store while the owner's away.

Idiom	Hold the Fort
Example	Our teacher was late, so the teacher next door held the fort in our room until he showed up.
Meaning	to temporarily be responsible for watching over a place; to fight off trouble or keep watch
Origin	This expression comes from the military. It was widely used in books and early movies about the old West. Often when a fort was being attacked by enemies on the frontier or during the Civil War, the soldiers defending it were told, "Hold the fort. Don't give up. Help is on its way." Today you can "hold the fort" by watching the children in someone's house until a parent returns or by taking care of a store while the owner's away.

Fort Teacher Watching Hold Late Door Held Room