The Redcoats' drums were beating a retreat.
They beat a retreat when they saw that they were too few.
The cat beat a hasty retreat when he saw the dog coming.
Словарь американских идиом. — СПб., Изд-во "Лань". Оригинал: A.Маккей, М.Т.Боткер, Дж.И.Гейтс. 1997.
beat a retreat — beat a (hasty) retreat ► to decide not to continue with something that has become too difficult or not worth doing: »Most of the market beat a hasty retreat, investors being unimpressed by a volatile performance on Wall Street. beat a retreat… … Financial and business terms
beat a retreat — beat a (hasty) retreat to quickly leave. When the cold grows overwhelming, visitors can beat a retreat to Joe Mulligan s warm bar and restaurant. Etymology: based on the military meaning of beat a retreat (= to drum a signal to soldiers that they … New idioms dictionary
beat the retreat — see ↑beat a retreat above. • • • Main Entry: ↑beat … Useful english dictionary
beat a retreat — ► beat a retreat withdraw. Main Entry: ↑beat … English terms dictionary
beat a retreat — index quit (evacuate) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
beat a retreat — verb depart hastily • Hypernyms: ↑depart, ↑take leave, ↑quit • Verb Frames: Somebody s * * * phrasal : to retreat or retire often in haste or with loss of dignity * * * beat a retreat … Useful english dictionary
beat a retreat — {v. phr.} 1. To give a signal, esp. by beating a drum, to go back. * /The Redcoats drums were beating a retreat./ 2. To run away. * /They beat a retreat when they saw that they were too few./ * /The cat beat a hasty retreat when he saw the dog… … Dictionary of American idioms
beat a retreat — {v. phr.} 1. To give a signal, esp. by beating a drum, to go back. * /The Redcoats drums were beating a retreat./ 2. To run away. * /They beat a retreat when they saw that they were too few./ * /The cat beat a hasty retreat when he saw the dog… … Dictionary of American idioms
beat a retreat — to leave a place because it is dangerous or unpleasant. When the cold grows overwhelming, visitors can beat a retreat to Joe Mulligan s warm saloon. When we saw the police arriving we beat a hasty retreat … New idioms dictionary
beat a retreat — See beat a hasty retreat … Thesaurus of popular words
