English

Verb

to fold one's tent ‎(third-person singular simple present folds one's tent, present participle folding one's tent, simple past and past participle folded one's tent)

1. (idiomatic) To withdraw, especially in a discreet manner; to disengage; to quit.
   • 1844, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "The Day is Done" (proem to The Waif), lines 41-44,

     And the night shall be filled with music,

     And the cares that infest the day

     Shall fold their tents like the Arabs,

     And as silently steal away.

   • 1982, "No Mercy for the Sisters," Time, 27 Sep.,

     "I won't quietly fold my tent and go away," snapped Sister Catherine.

   • 2005, Terry Neal, "Talking Points Live," Washington Post, 6 Jan. (retrieved 10 Aug 2008),

     There are a good number of Democrats who are unhappy with John Kerry, thinking he folded his tent without a fight.

Synonyms

• chicken out, cut and run, stand down