buckle down

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buck·le

(bŭk′əl)

1. A clasp for fastening two ends, as of straps or a belt, in which a device attached to one of the ends is fitted or coupled to the other.

2. An ornament that resembles this clasp, such as a metal square on a shoe or hat.

3. An instance of bending, warping, or crumpling; a bend or bulge.

v. buck·led, buck·ling, buck·les

v.tr.

1. To fasten with a buckle.

2. To cause to bend, warp, or crumple.

v.intr.

1. To become fastened with a buckle.

2. To bend, warp, or crumple, as under pressure or heat.

3. To give way; collapse: My knees buckled with fear.

4. To succumb, as to exhaustion or authority; give in: finally buckled under the excessive demands of the job.

Phrasal Verbs:

buckle down

To apply oneself with determination.

buckle up

To use a safety belt, especially in an automobile.

[Middle English bokel, from Old French boucle, from Latin buccula, cheek strap of a helmet, diminutive of bucca, cheek.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

buckle down

(intr, adverb) informal to apply oneself with determination: to buckle down to a job.

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

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Verb

buckle down - work very hard, like a slave

break one's back, knuckle down, slave

do work, work - be employed; "Is your husband working again?"; "My wife never worked"; "Do you want to work after the age of 60?"; "She never did any work because she inherited a lot of money"; "She works as a waitress to put herself through college"

buckle

verb

1. To fall in:

cave in, collapse, crumple, give, go.

Idiom: give way.

2. To give in from or as if from a gradual loss of strength:

bow, capitulate, submit, succumb, surrender, yield.

Informal: fold.

phrasal verb
buckle down

To devote (oneself or one's efforts):

address, apply, bend, concentrate, dedicate, devote, direct, focus, give, turn.

Translations

w>buckle down

vi (inf) → sich dahinterklemmen (inf), → sich dranmachen (inf); to buckle down to a task → sich hinter eine Aufgabe klemmen (inf), → sich an eine Aufgabe machen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

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References in classic literature ?

If he were to be allowed to withdraw into the privacy of the study and wrap a cold, wet towel about his forehead and buckle down to it, he knew that he could draft an excellent and satisfactory explanation of his presence at Reigelheimer's with the Good Sport.

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But the automatic pistol in his belt with its rattling, quick- dealing death, and the automatic, death-defying spirit in the man himself, made them refrain and buckle down to the task of hauling him to safety through the storm.

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THE Senate committees are now ready to buckle down to work, after finalizing chairmanships of working committees that will conduct hearings in aid of crafting remedial legislation.

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Chairman of Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), Dayanand Sopte said, "The Government of Goa has taken a firm decision to stand by GoaMiles initiative in the interest of tourism in the state and will not buckle down to any sort of pressure from vested interests nor to their demands to stop or scrap the app-based taxi service."

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Fredenil Castro said that after the budget squabble that triggered the belated passage and presidential approval of the P3.757 trillion national appropriation, it is now time to "buckle down to work."

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In return, the athletes vowed to buckle down to work as soon as possible to bring honor to the country in future meets.

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He said his client had a "distinct choice" to make, adding: "He is determined, to quote him, 'to buckle down and turn things around'."

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'We haven't trained in this venue, so we had some troubles moving on the sand,' said Rondina, who had to wrap up her UAAP and FIVB World Tour stints before she could formally buckle down to training with Pons.

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I'm in pain, my mobility is affected and I really just need to buckle down and get on with it."

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The 44-year-old actor said: "I got my high school diploma recently to teach my kids that they need to buckle down and so they can't say, 'You didn't graduate high school and you are successful so why do I have to go to school?"'