squirrel away
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb (phrasal verb): - To hide or store something, especially money or supplies, in a safe or secret place for future use. This implies saving in a careful, often secretive, or hoarding manner, similar to how a squirrel stores nuts.
Usage
This phrasal verb is transitive and requires a direct object (the thing being stored). It is often used in informal contexts to describe the act of saving money or accumulating items over time, typically with a sense of discretion or preparation for a future need.
Examples
- She managed to squirrel away a small fortune over twenty years of careful saving.
- He squirrels away every spare coin in a jar under his bed.
- During the summer, they squirreled away canned goods in preparation for the winter storms.
Advanced Usage
- The phrasal verb can be used in various tenses. The past tense and past participle are typically "squirreled away" (American English) or "squirrelled away" (British English).
- It often carries a connotation of thriftiness, foresight, or sometimes mild eccentricity or secrecy regarding one's savings.
Variants and Related Words
- Squirrel (verb): The base verb, less common, meaning to store or hide away. Example: "He tends to squirrel his treasures in the attic."
- Stash away: A very close synonym with a similar informal tone.
- Salt away: An idiomatic synonym with a stronger implication of saving money.
Synonyms
- Stash away
- Salt away
- Hoard
- Cache
- Put by
- Lay by
Antonyms
- Squander
- Spend lavishly
- Deplete
- Use up
Related Idioms and Phrases
- To have a nest egg: This idiom refers to money that has been saved for the future. While "squirrel away" describes the , "nest egg" describes the or the savings themselves.
- All the money she had squirreled away became a comfortable nest egg for her retirement.
Verb
- save up as for future use