To move, usually one's home. This phrase was first used by Virginia colonists in the early 17th century. Jamestown and other settlements were surrounded by wooden palisade stakes as a defense against marauding Native Americans. To change or expand one's residence would have meant moving the barriers too, much easier than to rebuild from scratch. The phrase is sometimes heard as “pick up stakes.” The opposite is “put down stakes.” The British equivalent is “up sticks,” the sticks referring to army tent pegs.