bail up

phr.v. to stop someone and make them listen to you, often for a long time when they are busy.

phr.v. to detain someone in conversation, often against their will or at an inconvenient time; to buttonhole.

“I tried to leave the office, but my boss bailed me up to talk about the new project.”

“He was bailed up in the corridor by a persistent colleague who insisted on discussing the minutiae of the budget for over twenty minutes.”

Dialect · Informal

phr.v. to trap a person or animal in a corner so they cannot escape.

phr.v. to corner or hold a person or animal at bay, often through the threat of force or by physical obstruction.

“The farm dogs managed to bail up the wild pig in the corner of the field.”

“The suspect was bailed up in a narrow alleyway by the pursuing officers until backup arrived to secure the perimeter.”

Dialect

phr.v. to stop and rob someone, especially in the countryside in the past.

phr.v. to commit a robbery by stopping a traveller or vehicle, particularly associated with historical bushranging.

“The bushrangers bailed up the stagecoach and took all the gold.”

“Historical accounts describe how the outlaws would bail up unsuspecting travellers at gunpoint along the remote mountain passes.”

Dialect · Archaic