Meaning
Prevent something harmful from happening or affecting you.
Primary Function
Prevention.
Communicative Purpose
To describe holding off threats.
Pattern
keep; at bay
Core Structure
keep; at bay
Função primária
Prevention.
Propósito comunicativo
To describe holding off threats.
Situações de gatilho
Illness, invasions, negative thoughts.
Contextos
Health, security, psychology.
Padrão
keep; at bay
Estrutura central
keep; at bay
Slots de substituição
[something] → the virus, my anxiety, attackers
Colocados típicos
- to
- can
- helps
Substituições comuns
- hold at bay
- ward off
- fend off
Erros comuns
*keep at bay something* (word order)
Similar / contraste
stave off
Interferências
Not about bays.
Família do chunk
- Prevention/defense idioms
Nuance
Active defense.
Efeito pragmático
Conveys successful resistance.
Dica de memória
Dog held back from barking at bay.
Nota
This idiom is used to describe the act of preventing something harmful from approaching or affecting the subject. It is semi-fixed and can be used in various contexts such as health, security, and psychology.
Upgrade path
successfully inhibit the progression (formal)
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