hole-in-the-wall

== English == === Alternative forms === hole in the wall === Pronunciation === === Noun === hole-in-the-wall (plural hole-in-the-walls or holes-in-the-wall) (Canada, US, informal) A restaurant, shop or other establishment catering to customers that is particularly inconspicuous and easily overlooked. (chiefly British, colloquial) 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 ==== === See also === know someone from a hole in the wall