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I was watching this video and at 41:05 secs the professor uses this phrase Bolting for the Door . Does it mean that students will get bored or it will be too difficult for the students such that they will be eager to go out as soon as possible ?

P.S : Searching google for "bolt for the door" didn't provide encouraging answers.

The full context of the quote is:

By the time we get to the end of this class you folks are going to be bolting for the door because we are going to do some good math today. It's actually fun math, I think, but it is challenging.

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One doesn’t search Google; one looks up the verb bolt in a dictionary. Google is crap. – tchrist Aug 8 '12 at 13:54
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Either of your interpretations (too hard or bored) is perfectly consistent with the phrase bolting for the door. – Peter Shor Aug 8 '12 at 14:00
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@tchrist Google isn't crap, it can even direct you to some very lovely dictionaries! – rsegal Aug 8 '12 at 14:05

closed as general reference by tchrist, Matt Эллен, Lynn, FumbleFingers, jwpat7 Aug 8 '12 at 17:43

This question is too basic; it can be definitively and permanently answered by a single link to a standard internet reference source designed specifically to find that type of information. See the FAQ for guidance on how to improve it.

3 Answers

up vote 5 down vote accepted

Bolt as an intransitive verb means to dash or to escape. The professor means the (exhausted) students will be dashing towards the exit of the classroom as soon as he finishes, as he has had to teach an intensive lecture of math.

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I like the "Garam Masala" description of your "About Me " :-) . Anyway +1 for the answer . – Geek Aug 8 '12 at 14:00
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In the same way the phrase "The horse has already bolted" means the horse made a sudden break or dash to escape and succeeded, the phrase detailed by the OP above indicates the students will be doing or attempting exactly the same. I.E. making a break for freedom. Good luck students, that's all I can say!

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up vote 0 down vote

"Bolt" is just "bolt" and it is defined by Merriam-Webster as: 

to move suddenly or rapidly; to dash

But I think you already know this. What you are probably looking for is an interpretation of the phrase in the bigger context of the video.

Between your two choices, the second -- "it will be too difficult for the students such that they will be eager to go out as soon as possible" is closer to the truth.

The speaker in the video also gives a lot of clues that support this. For one, in your own quote -- It's actually fun math, I think, but it is challenging -- the word "challenging" is used to mean difficult.

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