English · Slang Attested

swallow the anchor

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To leave the navy.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Rời khỏi hải quân

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

My grand pa was the carpenter on his ship, but had a few years before swallowed the anchor and stepped on land to repair boats.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “swallow the anchor” mean?

To leave the navy.

Is “swallow the anchor” formal or informal?

swallow the anchor is generally slang.

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