What does “tucked away” mean in English?

Living Inside A Real English Castle

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B1 English listening practice · British English · Picked for people who know some

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tucked away
Everyday location phrase
Hidden in a quiet place, away from busy areas.

When something is “tucked away,” it is in a quiet, out-of-the-way place — not right in front of you, but still there if you know where to look. A village tucked away in the mountains. A key tucked away in a drawer. The phrase has a small feeling of something private and a little hidden. You will see it a lot in travel writing.

The verb “tuck” first meant to push or fold something neatly into a small space — like tucking a shirt into trousers, or tucking a child into bed. “Tucked away” carries the same idea: the place or thing is folded out of sight, kept somewhere quiet. In the clip, the narrator introduces the castle like this: “Castle Howard is tucked away in the northern English county of Yorkshire.” The phrase sets the scene right away — the castle is real and large, but hidden from the busy world. You have to travel to find it. You can use “tucked away” for places, objects, or even money. A café tucked away down a side street. A little cash tucked away in savings. The form stays the same — always “tucked away,” not “tuck away,” when you use it as an adjective.

How common are the words?

How common are the words in this B1 English listening practice video?

92.8%
of words are in the top 2,000 most common English words
Most of the words in this video are common English words.

How common in written English

88%
Top 1,000
92.8%
Top 2,000
98%
Top 5,000

How common in spoken English

91.6%
Top 1,000
96%
Top 2,000
100%
Top 5,000

Harder words in this video

These words are harder than B1. Here is what they mean.

cowbell
2×
Not in top 5,000
bell shaped like a cow's bell
tapestries
2×
Not in top 5,000
woven decorative fabrics
compressors
1×
Not in top 5,000
machines that increase pressure
ginormous
1×
Not in top 5,000
very large (slang)
living in a work of art
1×
residing in a beautifully designed place

Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-US 2012 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.

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