bail up
phr. v..phr. v.. to stop someone and keep them in a conversation, often when they are busy or do not want to talk.
phr. v.. to detain someone in conversation, typically against their will or at an inconvenient time; originally derived from Australian English referring to bushrangers cornering victims.
He bailed me up in the hallway to talk about his weekend.
I was trying to leave the office when the manager bailed me up to discuss the new budget.
The senator was bailed up by a group of determined lobbyists just as he was attempting to enter the private chambers.
primarily used in Australian and New Zealand English; the object is always the person being detained.
explain the historical context of 'bushrangers' (outlaws) to help students remember the sense of being 'trapped' in a conversation.
He bailed up to me.He bailed me up.this is a transitive phrasal verb where the person being stopped is the direct object, not preceded by 'to'.