"beat a hasty retreat" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "Originally a military term, referring to the pace set by drummers in the British army.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "beats a hasty retreat",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "beating a hasty retreat",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "beat a hasty retreat",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "beaten a hasty retreat",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "beat<,,beat,beaten> a hasty retreat"
      },
      "expansion": "beat a hasty retreat (third-person singular simple present beats a hasty retreat, present participle beating a hasty retreat, simple past beat a hasty retreat, past participle beaten a hasty retreat)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1827, The Times",
          "text": "A few nights ago, a fair trader had commenced unloading her cargo, consisting of light goods, in the Pent, but in the midst of the operation was discovered by the Philistines, and obliged to beat a hasty retreat across the rope-walk to the sea...",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2003, Mike Hollywood, Papa Mike's Cook Islands Handbook, page 100",
          "text": "I found not a sole around and beat a hasty retreat, but before leaving I took a look around and was impressed by the location and proximity of the lagoon.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, H.H. Kothe, Grandpa Was a Sailor, page 56",
          "text": "After apologizing profusely, I beat a hasty retreat.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Allison Pang, A Sliver of Shadow",
          "text": "I caught a glimpse of him beating a hasty retreat through a smaller doorway that I hadn't seen before.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013, John O'Loughlin, Fixed Limits",
          "text": "Then I suddenly woke up with a start and discovered that I was in an empty room. The mysterious stranger had evidently beat a hasty retreat!",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To leave as quickly as possible."
      ],
      "id": "en-beat_a_hasty_retreat-en-verb-apMWSU6F",
      "links": [
        [
          "leave",
          "leave"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "beat a hasty retreat"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Originally a military term, referring to the pace set by drummers in the British army.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "beats a hasty retreat",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "beating a hasty retreat",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "beat a hasty retreat",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "beaten a hasty retreat",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "beat<,,beat,beaten> a hasty retreat"
      },
      "expansion": "beat a hasty retreat (third-person singular simple present beats a hasty retreat, present participle beating a hasty retreat, simple past beat a hasty retreat, past participle beaten a hasty retreat)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1827, The Times",
          "text": "A few nights ago, a fair trader had commenced unloading her cargo, consisting of light goods, in the Pent, but in the midst of the operation was discovered by the Philistines, and obliged to beat a hasty retreat across the rope-walk to the sea...",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2003, Mike Hollywood, Papa Mike's Cook Islands Handbook, page 100",
          "text": "I found not a sole around and beat a hasty retreat, but before leaving I took a look around and was impressed by the location and proximity of the lagoon.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, H.H. Kothe, Grandpa Was a Sailor, page 56",
          "text": "After apologizing profusely, I beat a hasty retreat.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Allison Pang, A Sliver of Shadow",
          "text": "I caught a glimpse of him beating a hasty retreat through a smaller doorway that I hadn't seen before.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013, John O'Loughlin, Fixed Limits",
          "text": "Then I suddenly woke up with a start and discovered that I was in an empty room. The mysterious stranger had evidently beat a hasty retreat!",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To leave as quickly as possible."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "leave",
          "leave"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "beat a hasty retreat"
}