Bolthole
This refers to either:
- A means of quick escape (a “hole” through which a human or animal can “bolt”)
- A hidden refuge
I’m not sure if the correct spelling has a hyphen. I’ve seen it both ways.
Why I Looked It Up
In The Traitor, they referred to a small London apartment owned by a gangster as a “bolthole.”
Postscript
Added on
From Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives:
No wonder Jerome Wiesner, MIT’s president, felt trapped by the magisterial perfection of his office, and kept a messy bolt-hole in Building 20.