bolt down
Definition
- Verb (transitive):
- To eat something very quickly and completely: To consume food in a hurried, often voracious manner, finishing it entirely.
- To drink something very quickly and completely: To consume a beverage, especially an alcoholic one, rapidly and in its entirety.
Usage
- The verb "bolt down" is used with a direct object (the food or drink being consumed). It emphasizes both the speed and the completeness of the action. It is often used in informal contexts.
- Structure: Subject + bolt down + object.
- He bolted down his lunch.
- They bolted the drinks down.
Examples
- Eating:
- After the race, he bolted down a sandwich and a banana.
- Don't just bolt down your food; take your time and enjoy it.
- Drinking:
- She bolted down a glass of water before heading out.
- He bolted his coffee down and rushed to the meeting.
Advanced Usage
- The phrasal verb can sometimes be separated, with the object placed between "bolt" and "down," especially with pronouns or short noun phrases.
- He was so thirsty he bolted it down in seconds.
- She bolted the medicine down with a grimace.
Variants and Related Words
- Gobble down / Wolf down: Synonyms specifically for eating quickly.
- The kids gobbled down the cookies.
- Down (as a verb): A more general, informal synonym meaning to drink something quickly, especially an alcoholic drink.
- He downed his beer in one gulp.
- Gulp down: To swallow food or drink quickly in large amounts.
- She gulped down her tea.
Synonyms
- Devour: To eat hungrily or quickly.
- Inhale (informal): To eat something very rapidly.
- Polish off: To finish something, especially food or drink, completely.
- Kill (slang, for drinks): To finish a bottle or drink.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Put away (informal): To eat or drink a large amount of something.
- He can put away an entire pizza by himself.
- Knock back (informal, for drinks): To drink an alcoholic beverage quickly.
- He knocked back a shot of whiskey.
Related Idioms
- Make short work of something: To finish something, especially food or a task, quickly and easily.
- The hungry team made short work of the pizzas. (This implies they ate them quickly and completely, similar to "bolted down.")
Verb
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eat a large amount of food quickly
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The children gobbled down most of the birthday cake
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drink down entirely
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He downed three martinis before dinner
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She killed a bottle of brandy that night
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They popped a few beer after work
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