to bolt food
Preserved but no longer current.
To swallow it quickly without waiting to chew it; hence, to bolt a Bill, a political phrase used of Bills that are passed whole before proper time or opportunity has been given for their consideration.
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 “to bolt food” mean?
To swallow it quickly without waiting to chew it; hence, to bolt a Bill, a political phrase used of Bills that are passed whole before proper time or opportunity has been given for their consideration.
Is “to bolt food” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.