to hang on
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To cling to; to persevere; to be dependent on. To hang on by the eyelids is to maintain one's position only with the greatest difficulty or by the slightest of holds.
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 hang on” mean?
To cling to; to persevere; to be dependent on. To hang on by the eyelids is to maintain one's position only with the greatest difficulty or by the slightest of holds.
Is “to hang on” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.