hold the fort

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

to maintain control of a situation, keep operations running, or resist external pressure while the primary person responsible is absent or while additional help is awaited; the phrase originates in military contexts where a garrison might be ordered to hold a fortified position against attack until reinforcements arrived; in everyday usage it describes any situation in which someone is asked to manage, maintain, or defend a position, operation, or relationship in the absence of the usual leadership or under difficult conditions requiring steady resolve