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3. bolt upright

bolt upright

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bolt upright

vertical and straight She suddenly awoke from her nightmare and sat bolt upright in bed.

Usage notes: usually used with sit and usually used after the verb, as in the example

See also: bolt, upright

bolt upright

in a position where you are sitting up with your back very straight He woke to see her sitting bolt upright beside him and wondered what was the matter.

See shoot bolt

See also: bolt, upright

bolt upright

Precisely perpendicular, erect in carriage, as in She sat bolt upright in her pew. This expression was used in slightly different form by Chaucer in the late 1300s: "She was ... long as a mast and upright as a bolt" ( The Miller's Tale).

See also: bolt, upright

bolt upright

In a rigidly vertical position: sat bolt upright.

See also: bolt, upright