hole-in-the-wall

English

Alternative forms

hole in the wall

Pronunciation

Audio (US): (file)

Noun

hole-in-the-wall (plural hole-in-the-walls or holes-in-the-wall)

(Canada, US) A restaurant, shop or other establishment catering to customers that is particularly inconspicuous and easily overlooked.
(colloquial, chiefly British) Synonym of automated teller machine

Usage notes

Although either plural can be used for both meanings, hole-in-the-walls tends to be most commonly used for the "obscure place" sense, and holes-in-the-wall is more frequently used to mean "automated teller machines".

Used to refer to an inconspicuous establishment, the term has a connotation that the quality of the food or rendered services deserves recognition.

The British sense of an automated teller machine may have originated as a trademark of Barclays.

Translations

a small or obscure place

French: boui-boui (fr) m, gargote (fr)
Japanese: 穴場 (ja) (あなば, anaba)
Latin: gurgustium n

automated teller machine — see automated teller machine