- Booby hatch
- Hatch Hatch, n. [OE. hacche, AS. h[ae]c, cf. haca the bar of a
door, D. hek gate, Sw. h["a]ck coop, rack, Dan. hekke manger,
rack. Prob. akin to E. hook, and first used of something made
of pieces fastened together. Cf. {Heck}, {Hack} a frame.]
1. A door with an opening over it; a half door, sometimes set
with spikes on the upper edge.
[1913 Webster]
In at the window, or else o'er the hatch. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
2. A frame or weir in a river, for catching fish. [1913 Webster]
3. A flood gate; a sluice gate. --Ainsworth. [1913 Webster]
4. A bedstead. [Scot.] --Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster]
5. An opening in the deck of a vessel or floor of a warehouse which serves as a passageway or hoistway; a hatchway; also; a cover or door, or one of the covers used in closing such an opening. [1913 Webster]
6. (Mining) An opening into, or in search of, a mine. [1913 Webster]
{Booby hatch}, {Buttery hatch}, {Companion hatch}, etc. See under {Booby}, {Buttery}, etc.
{To batten down the hatches} (Naut.), to lay tarpaulins over them, and secure them with battens.
{To be under hatches}, to be confined below in a vessel; to be under arrest, or in slavery, distress, etc. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
