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Hole-in-the-wall 

Professor David Crystal 

Hole-in-the-wall is one of those phrases where you get a lot of 

words hyphenated, if you wrote it down: hole-in-the-wall, being 

used as a single word, as a noun. "'I'm going to the hole-in-the-wall"' you might say or "'I'm getting some money out of the hole-in-the-wall"'. Well you can see what it means, it means an 

automatic cash dispenser – one of those installed in the outside 

wall of a bank or some other money-giving organisation.  

It's British colloquial; it's not used as far as I know in the States, 

or in Australia, or anywhere, although I wouldn't be surprised if it 

spread a little bit – always written with hyphens. Very unusual to 

see phrases of this kind and sentences being used in this way, as 

single words. But if you listen out for them, you'll find them – 

especially being used as adjectives. Have you heard people for 

instance say "'he's a very get-up-and-go-person"'? Now there's 

the sentence 'get up and go'. To say a "'get-up-and-go-person"' means somebody 

who's got lots of oomph inside them, lots of enthusiasm. Or if I give you a 

"'come-hither-look"' – a "'come-hither-look"': come here – come hither.  Another 

phrase being used as an adjective.  

You can try them out as a sort of game. "'Who do you think you are?"' is a 

common enough expression – so you can make it an adjective and say "'he gave 

me a who-do-you-think-you-are sort of look"'. Make it even longer if you want: 

"'he gave me a who-do-you-think-you-are-and-why-are-you-looking-at-me sort of 

look"' – but there is a limit to the length you can make an adjective. Don't go on 

for too long, you'll run out of breath!