Keep/hold sth at bay

[wuwei]

Hi, teachers,
I found this phrase in my dictionary, but unfortunately there is not a sample of this phrase, could you pls make a sentence for my reference and tell me in which circumstance I can use this phrase?
Thanks
Ian

[BobK]

She went shopping to keep the blues at bay.

The phrase 'keep at bay' derives, I think, from hunting. When a hunted animal turns and threatens a pack of dogs, and they just howl (bay) and bare their teeth, but don't get any closer, they are said to be 'at bay'. Today, the expression doesn't have to have any connection with hunting, and you can use it whenever someone is resisting some offensive force:

He drank orange-juice every day to keep coughs and colds at bay.

b

[wuwei]

Thanks, Bob,
is this sentence, She studied hard to keep the bored time at bay, right?
Regards!
Ian

[Tdol]

to keep bordeom at bay

[BobK]

Typo: 'boredom' [maybe you misheard this, wuwei, as 'bored time' - which, while it's an unusual collocation - sounds fairly similar]

[wuwei]

Thanks, Tdol and Bob
Because I have not learned the word 'boredom' and also did not find the word according to the meaning in Chinese in my electric dictionary, so I have to replace it with 'bored time' according to the regulation of Chinese.
If there are some mistakes in my posts, please help me to correct them, your great help will be high appreciated, I am just a beginner.

[Tdol]

Originally Posted by wuwei

I am just a beginner.

Wuwei, I think you're being a bit modest there.

[wuwei]

Originally Posted by Tdol

Wuwei, I think you're being a bit modest there.

Thanks, Tdol, exactly, I am just a beginner, because I still can not speak English more fluently, in my free time, I do not have any friends to speak to, so I come here to write something to improve myself, there are so many good teachers here just like you,for me, more practice, more progress.
Now the language skill has became a barrier of my life, so I must study hard to get much more obvious progresses.
By the way, could you give me some advice for my learning, because I always spend a lot of time to remember words, and always can not use it in my speaking.
Thanks for your great support.

[Tdol]

I am learning an Asian language at the moment, Khmer, and know the problems with learning words- Khmer words, apart from some modern terms and some French influence from colonial times, bear no resemblance to English words. European students have an advantage because a lot of the vocabulary is shared. I don't think there is a quick and simple answer to the problem, but words I couldn't remember two months ago, I can remember today. It really comes down to repeating them and, more importantly, using them.

[wuwei]

Thanks, Tdol, I mean that I do not know how to use the words I have learned in my speaking and writing, sure,the only way is continual speaking and writing.
Thanks