to ring an anchor
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To haul it up so that its ring is at the hawse-hole or cathead.
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 ring an anchor” mean?
To haul it up so that its ring is at the hawse-hole or cathead.
Is “to ring an anchor” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.