to take to the bush
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To become bush- rangers, like runaway convicts, who live by plunder. See BUSH, below.
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 take to the bush” mean?
To become bush- rangers, like runaway convicts, who live by plunder. See BUSH, below.
Is “to take to the bush” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.