hunker

hunker down

1. Literally, to squat. The magician hunkered down to the eye level of the children.
2. To seek refuge in a particular place or area. We hunkered down at home with some movies while the blizzard raged all weekend.
3. To work or begin to work on something in a determined matter. I can't believe I didn't get an A on my project after I'd hunkered down all weekend to do it!
4. To stubbornly maintain some belief. It seems he's hunkered down and will never see me as anything but the villain in his life.
See also: down, hunker

hunker down to (something)

To work or begin to work on something in a determined matter. I can't believe I didn't get an A on my project after I'd hunkered down to it all weekend!
See also: down, hunker

hunker-slider

One who acts in a deceptive or dishonest manner. Mom, he's a total hunker-slider—don't give him one penny more!

hunker-sliding

Acting in a deceptive or dishonest manner. I wouldn't give him one penny—not with his penchant for hunker-sliding! There's so much hunker-sliding in this business that it's tough to trust anyone.

on (one's) hunkers

In a crouching position; bending down with one's heels on the ground and one's knees bent. Due to my arthritis, I can no longer get down on my hunkers and play with my grandchildren. He sat on his hunkers to inspect the leak beneath the sink.
See also: hunker, on
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

hunker down (on something)

Fig. to squat down on one's heels, a stool, a stone, etc. Jeff hunkered down on the pavement and watched the world go by. He hunkered down to take a rest.
See also: down, hunker

hunker down to something

Fig. to apply oneself to something, to get started working at something. I hunkered down to my chores, hoping to get them done before noon. If you want to get a good grade on that report, you'd better hunker down to it.
See also: down, hunker
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

on your ˈhunkers

sitting on your heels with your knees bent up in front of you: The little boy took out his favourite red sports car, and was delighted when Tom went down on his hunkers and admired the toy.
See also: hunker, on
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

hunker down

v.
1. To sit on the heels with the knees bent forward; squat: My personal trainer hunkered down to help me with the barbells.
2. To take shelter or refuge: The campers hunkered down in the cabin during the blizzard.
3. To hold stubbornly to some position: The candidates hunkered down and refused to admit their mistakes.
4. To apply oneself and start working seriously at something: You need to hunker down and study if you're going to pass that test.
See also: down, hunker
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • come a gutser
  • be down to (one)
  • be down to somebody/something
  • bear down on (someone or something)
  • be down to something
  • be down to (do something)
  • clamp down
  • clamp down on
  • clamp down on (someone or something)
  • chomp down on (someone or something)
References in periodicals archive
Hunker hosted tours of Columbus, during which he imparted his wide-ranging knowledge of Ohio.
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In order to get the entire Facilities staff to buy in and take ownership of the program, a bonus system was put in place by Hunker with a $1 bounty paid for every ballast installed.
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Time to hunker down once more and enjoy the pleasures of a roaring log fire.
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And he warned it was too easy to hunker down when dealing with the problems facing Europe.
Clinton warns: Ulster will be 'whacked' if Brexit backed
Kathleen Hunker, a policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank, said that though women in low-wage jobs are struggling, the focus should be instead on what they do have: purchasing power.
Report Sheds Light on Poor Working Mothers in Texas
But even if we weren't, "Hunker Down Survival Plan For Business Owners" by insurance industry consultant Edward D.
Hunker Down Survival Plan For Business Owners
At curve, we've tried to hunker down and weather what Gawker calls The Great Magazine Die-Off.
Hunkering down: after 18 fascinating years of documenting your lives and the issues that are important to you, we aren't going to let a recession take us down. But, honestly, we could use your help this month
We can help alleviate the worst effects of global poverty, or we can hunker down in fortress America.
Tsunami warning: to avoid another disaster, we must stop ignoring a world of want
In these prickly political times, it's hard to escape the compulsion to hunker down and seek refuge in the familiar.
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The author, Henry Hunker, gives a history of the city as it has evolved and changed since the first time he visited in 1946.
Columbus, Ohio: a Personal Geography
At Holy Trinity Church in downtown Toronto, Ian Sowton, 73, helps 4- and 5-year-olds hunker down at a table with scissors and glue as they listen to the story of Sarah and Isaac.
`Let the little children come to me': Anglicans adrift over young worshippers
To miss the mosquitoes, hunker down in the early evening.
Keeping Bugs at Bay
Our mission is not to hunker down in some musty cave to await the stroke of a deus ex machina to save us.
Building a culture of life
With Bruce Vladek in charge, should nursing home managers hunker down and (as usual) expect the worst?
Greetings from HCFA's new topsider
And if we do see such a power shift within this Tory government, then those who find themselves struggling now had better hunker down for even worse times to come.
OSBORNE'S POWER PLAY