bolt-hole

Noun

bolthole (plural boltholes)

1. A hole in an animal’s den, or through a wall or fence, used for escape or emergency exit, i.e., a hole the animal may bolt through.
   • Eragon: They may try to slip past us and escape Helgrind through the entrance we used. Saphira: They probably have a bolt-hole at ground level.2008, Christopher Paolini, “Assault on Helgrind”, in Brisingr, page 51
2. (figuratively) A hidden place of emergency refuge.
   • There was a guard at the front doors. He was smoking a cigarette; she'd seen the light from a great distance. They'd grown incautious in the absence of her continual raids, probably imagining she'd died of some viral infection alone in one of the countless caves ringing the forest. She'd seen their...2023 October 12, Harry Blank, “Fire in the Hole”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 22 May 2024
3. (figuratively) A second home, etc., where one can seek an escape or refuge from the stresses of everyday life.
   • a bolthole in the Dordogne