take to one's heels (third-person singular simple present takes to one's heels, present participle taking to one's heels, simple past took to one's heels, past participle taken to one's heels)
- (idiomatic) To leave, especially to flee or run away.
1839, Charles Dickens, chapter 10, in Oliver Twist:[T]hen, confused and frightened, he took to his heels; and, not knowing what he did, made off as fast as he could lay his feet to the ground.
1908, Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter 26, in In the South Seas:Of a sudden, however, a man broke from their company, took to his heels, and fled into the church.
1955 July 4, “Art: Patriot Painter”, in Time:After returning the fire three times, Peale's men saw the enemy formed near the college take to their heels.
2010, Dr Oliver Akamnonu, Arranged Marriage and the Vanishing Roots[1], →ISBN, page 81:Often tax defaulters would take to their heels on sighting the tax collectors.
to flee or run away
- Bulgarian: плюя си на петите (pljuja si na petite)
- Czech: vzít nohy na ramena (cs)
- Finnish: ottaa hatkat (fi)
- French: prendre ses jambes à son cou (fr)
- German: sich davonmachen, sich aus dem Staub machen (de), die Beine in die Hand nehmen (de), Reißaus nehmen (de)
- Hindi: नौ दो ग्यारह होना (nau do gyārah honā)
- Icelandic: taka til fótanna, taka á rás
- Polish: wziąć nogi za pas (pl), brać nogi za pas (pl) impf
- Portuguese: pôr os pés em polvorosa
- Romanian: a-și lua picioarele la spinare, a o lua la sănătoasa
- Russian: навостри́ть лы́жи pf (navostrítʹ lýži, literally “sharpen one's skis”), взять но́ги в ру́ки pf (vzjatʹ nógi v rúki, literally “take one's legs into one's hands”)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Roman: podbrusiti pete
- Spanish: apretar los talones, salir en carrera, poner pies en polvorosa, darse a la fuga
- Yiddish: מאַכן פּליטה (makhn pleyte), נעמען די פֿיס אויף די פּלייצעס (nemen di fis oyf di pleytses)
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