What is the Origin of Phrases ‘Keep at Bay & Bay for Blood’?

To keep something at bay means —

• to keep something harmful at a distance;
• to keep something from harming you;
• to keep something from coming closer to you.

This phrase is mostly used to denote a stand-off between two entities. Suppose you were being chased by a dog. You turned into an alley and now you have reached a dead-end. You have nowhere to run or hide. What will you do?

You will of course be forced to turn and face the dog. You will try to prevent it from harming you or from coming toward you. Thus, you are keeping the dog at bay.

“Bay” refers to the long barking sounds or howling of a dog.

If a dog is baying at you, you can be sure that he is intent on killing you. So, if you keep it at bay means you prevent it from attacking you.

For example —

“The robbers kept the police at bay and evaded arrest for almost two hours.”

It means that the robbers prevented the police from coming closer to them or from arresting them for two hours.

The image of a hound baying, ready for the attack has given us another phrase and that is “bay for blood” which means to intend to kill or severely punish someone.

For example —

“The public is baying for the blood of the bus driver who ran over a 9-year-old girl.”

It means that the public is intent on severely punishing the bus driver for running over a 9-year-old girl.

I hope you found this story interesting. If you did, buy my full course on Udemy or watch it for free on Skillshare by signing up here. This course covers nearly 380 idioms with their origins and backstories.

Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.