roll up the sidewalks

verb

To close all commercial businesses for the day.

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Meanings

verbroll up the sidewalks (third-person singular simple present rolls up the sidewalks, present participle rolling up the sidewalks, simple past and past participle rolled up the sidewalks)

present singular third person rolls up the sidewalks · participle present rolling up the sidewalks · participle past rolled up the sidewalks · past rolled up the sidewalks

  1. USidiomaticinformalTo close all commercial businesses for the day.

    But, remember in Harrogate, they roll up the sidewalks at 6:00 PM, except Thursdays.

    2016, Lon R. Maisttison, The Saga of Global Rescuer, →ISBN, page 177
    2 more examples

    'Japanese nightlife can be frantic,' Joanna said, 'but they start to roll up the sidewalks early by Western standards.'

    2012, Dean Koontz, The Key to Midnight: A gripping thriller of heart-stopping suspense, →ISBN

    “No night life, I'm afraid,” he'd told her, “They roll up the sidewalks at 8 PM."

    2012, Jacqueline Rhoades, The Alpha's Mate, →ISBN
Cite this entry
APA

roll up the sidewalks. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/roll%20up%20the%20sidewalks

MLA

“roll up the sidewalks.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/roll%20up%20the%20sidewalks. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “roll up the sidewalks,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/roll%20up%20the%20sidewalks.

Source: roll up the sidewalks on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.