196 Fly the coop
(PW) leave suddenly, run away
As soon as he turned eighteen years old, he flew the coop.
(free) Fig. to escape; to get out or get away
(Alludes to a chicken escaping from a chicken coop.) I couldn't stand the party, so I flew the coop. The prisoner flew the coop at the first opportunity.
fly the coop (mainly American)
to leave somewhere, especially to leave your home for the first time in order to live away from the family
Usage notes: A coop is a place where chickens are kept.
The last of our kids has finally flown the coop so we have the whole house to ourselves.
(your) escape, run away
After years of fighting with my mother, my father finally flew the coop.
This term originally meant “escape from jail,” known as the coop in underworld slang since the late 1700s. [Late 1800s]
(GoEnglish) escape from prison; escape ...
