take to one's heels

take to one's heels

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

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)

1. (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," 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, →ISBN, page 81:

     Often tax defaulters would take to their heels on sighting the tax collectors.

Synonyms

• make tracks

Translations

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) 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) (lit: sharpen ones skis), взять но́ги в ру́ки pf (vzjatʹ nógi v rúki) (lit: teake 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)

See also

• take to the hills