9:1 - Batten

When & Where:  I recently read about Facebook's new (-est) privacy policy update which no longer allows people to opt out of being searchable by name.  The first thought that occurred to me was, Facebook keeps taking away options for people to protect their privacy.  I should really start battening down the hatches on my profile.  The second thought that occurred to me was, What does "batten" mean, anyway?

Level of Familiarity: I have used the phrase "batten down the hatches" many times, and I understand that it refers to safely securing something.  I have never used the word batten on its own though, even though I assume it means "make secure."

What it Means:  Merriam-Webster defines batten as "to fasten with or as if with battens."  While this gave me a sense of batten as a verb, I now needed to understand what batten meant as a noun.  On the same page, the noun is defined as "a thin, narrow strip of lumber used especially to seal or reinforce a joint."  Google describes the idiom "batten down the hatches" to mean literally "secure a ships hatch-tarpaulins, especially when rough weather is expected."

Reflective Commentary:  I don't think I will ever use the word batten on it's own other than in the metaphorical sense of "batten down the hatches."  But when I do use that phrase now, I do have a better sense of its significance.  It is interesting how many words and phrases are like this -- ones we routinely see or use and have a sense of their meaning but cannot actually articulate what they mean.  An example of this that comes immediately to mind in the Pledge of Allegiance.  I think I was in high school before I actually understood what it meant to pledge one's allegiance to something, but even in my youngest school years I understood it as a profession of my patriotism.  I am sure no one ever had this conversation with me, but I was able to glean it from my understanding of what it means to place one's hand to heart and it always being done with the American flag in sight.