to cast anchor
Preserved but no longer current.
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 cast anchor” mean?
To throw out the anchor in order to bring the vessel to a standstill. (Lat. attchoram jacere.
Is “to cast anchor” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.