bale out
Preserved but no longer current.
The literal meaning of this phrase is to ladle out with buckets, as when one empties the water out of a small boat. Among flying men "to bale out'* means to descend from an aeroplane by parachute when some emergency necessitating this arises, and in the army to get out of a tank in a hurry when it is hit.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “bale out” mean?
The literal meaning of this phrase is to ladle out with buckets, as when one empties the water out of a small boat. Among flying men "to bale out'* means to descend from an aeroplane by parachute when some emergency necessitating this arises, and in the army to get out of a tank in a hurry when it is hit.
Is “bale out” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.