bail up
C1 informal separable transitive
In simple words
To stop someone so they can't leave — either by threatening them or just by talking too much.
Literal meaning: Originally referred to securing cattle in a bail (a frame that locks around an animal's neck); later extended to detaining people.
Meanings
1 C1
idiomatic
informal
(Australian English) To rob or hold up a person at gunpoint; to demand their valuables under threat.
"The bushrangers bailed up the mail coach and took all the gold."
Grammar: separable
2 C1
idiomatic
informal
(Informal) To corner or trap a person and force them into a conversation they cannot easily escape.
"My neighbour bailed me up at the letterbox for nearly half an hour."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Primarily Australian and British English. Historically associated with bushranger (outlaw) culture in Australia. In informal modern use, it can mean to trap someone in a lengthy unwanted conversation.
Commonly used with
robber stranger conversation corner hostage cattle
Forms
Base
bail up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
bails up
he/she/it
Past simple
bailed up
yesterday
Past participle
bailed up
have + pp
-ing form
bailing up
continuous
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Synonyms
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