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Swanky clubs may offer fancy drinks and cushy couches, but we'd rather hang out at a hole in the wall any day. The Online Etymology Dictionary explains that the slang term for "small and unpretentious place" was first used circa 1822. In the early 1600s, "hole" meant "a small, dingy lodging or abode." Perhaps back then, "unpretentious" implied that nobody had cleaned for a few days. Peak English concurs on when the term was first observed, as well as the definition -- "a small, simple place." So, our hole in the wall might be a bar, and someone else's could be a sandwich shop or ice cream
parlor. For some, "hole in the wall" is slang for "automated teller machine" (ATM), possibly a reference to the legendary Hole in the Wall Gang, whose members included Jesse James, Butch Cassidy, and the Sundance Kid. Of course, we're only speculating, but we bet the outlaws spent their fair share of afternoons in small and unpretentious taverns. Just their style.
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