Meaning
Become quiet, or tell someone firmly to stop talking or making noise. Informal and often brusque. Directed at a person, it can sound ruder than 'please be quiet.' Regional use: Originally British naval English; now general informal English.
Origin
A boatswain used distinctive pipe calls to pass orders aboard ship. 'Pipe down' was an order dismissing hands below, associated with slinging hammocks and settling for the night. That naval command is documented before the familiar mid-19th-century injunction to be quiet, although the exact step from dismissal call to silence cannot be traced to one recorded moment.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- Pipe down below
Usage Examples
- Pipe down at the back or the witness will never be heard.
- The engine finally piped down after the loose panel was secured.
- When the night watch came aboard, the mate told the card players to pipe down.