knuckle under

English

Etymology

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Pronunciation

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Verb

knuckle under (third-person singular simple present knuckles under, present participle knuckling under, simple past and past participle knuckled under)

1. (intransitive, idiomatic) To yield or cooperate when pressured or forced to do so.
   • 1907, John Galsworthy, chapter 8, in The Country House:

     "Nothing shall induce me!" he said. . . . "The man is a ruffian. I won't knuckle under to him!"

Synonyms

• fall in line

Translations

Translations

• Spanish: doblar el espinazo

References

• “knuckle under”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.