bottle out
phrasal verb with bottle verb [ T ] uk/ˈbɒt.əl/ us/ˈbɑː.t̬əl/
UK informal
放弃原计划；临阵退缩
to suddenly decide not to do something that you had intended to do because you feel frightened and lose your confidence
I was going to enter a belly-dancing contest, but I bottled out at the last minute. 我本打算参加肚皮舞比赛，但在最后时刻我打了退堂鼓。