# "Hunker Down": origin of phrase? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [March 23, 2020, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunker-down-origin-of-phrase/850086 "2020-03-23T12:28:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunker-down-origin-of-phrase/850086/1 "2020-03-23T12:28:31Z")
Everyone is talking about “Hunkering down” now, but I’m realizing that I’ve never heard the word “hunker” in any other context. Where is it from, and what does it mean? I looked it up, and found “American origin.” Thanks. Not helpful. I imagine America stole it from somewhere, but where? What did it originally mean? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunker-down-origin-of-phrase/850086/2 "2020-03-23T12:33:47Z")
[Here ya go](https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-stormy-origins-of-hunker-down-1505490652): > [@](#): > > “Hunker” (which we rarely hear without “down”) first emerged in the Scots language in the 18th century. It originally referred to squatting down on the balls of one’s feet, keeping low to the ground but still ready to move if necessary. The word likely comes from a Germanic root with descendants in other languages, all having to do with crouching, such as the Dutch huiken, the Old Norse húka and the German hocke. > > The Dictionary of the Scots Language provides examples going back to 1720, when the term appeared in a line of poetry: “And hunk’ring down upon the cald Grass.” In Scots, one could also describe a low squatting position as “sitting on one’s hunkers” or “sitting hunker-dottie.” Seems to be related to the word “haunch”. ETA: > [@](#): > > When “hunker down” entered American English, it took on more metaphorical meanings. A list of regionalisms from southeast Missouri published in 1903 defined the phrase as “to get down to one’s work.” Lyndon Johnson took the expression from his Texan upbringing and introduced it into American political discourse. When facing adversity during his presidency, he said he could only “hunker down like a jackass in a hailstorm and take it.” (Sometimes, he changed it to a “jack rabbit.”) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunker-down-origin-of-phrase/850086/3 "2020-03-23T12:37:18Z")
From the OED: "hunker, v. Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈhʌŋkə/ , U.S. /ˈhəŋkər/ , Scottish /ˈhʌŋkər/ Frequency (in current use): Etymology: Origin obscure: it has the form of an iterative from a stem hunk-. Compare Middle Dutch hucken, huken (Verwijs and Verdam), Middle Low German hûken, Dutch huiken (Franck), Old Norse húka, modern German hocken (Kluge) to sit on the hams or heels, to squat. These words point to an original ablaut series heuk-, hûk, huk- (hok-); from this hunk-er, might perhaps be a nasalized derivative. Old Norse hok-ra to crouch may be a parallel form; Dutch hunkeren to hanker, is not connected.(Show Less) Originally Scottish." “c. figurative. With down. To concentrate one’s resources, esp. in unfavourable circumstances; to dig in, buckle down; spec. (frequently in Military contexts) to shelter or take cover, lie low. Originally and chiefly U.S.” ---
**Author:** ![fsumm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fsumm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fsumm)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunker-down-origin-of-phrase/850086/4 "2020-03-25T02:15:12Z")
[https://www.youtube.com/user/thestevewallis/videos](https://www.youtube.com/user/thestevewallis/videos) ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunker-down-origin-of-phrase/850086/5 "2020-03-25T02:36:49Z")
A good prominent modern usage is in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and other HST work. He also used feckless, which was another good one. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunker-down-origin-of-phrase/850086/6 "2020-03-25T11:21:12Z")
Ngram shows sudden increase in 1980 > **[Google Books Ngram Viewer](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=hunker&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=18&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Chunker%3B%2Cc0)** > > Google Books Ngram Viewer ---
**Author:** ![Dingbang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@Dingbang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dingbang)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunker-down-origin-of-phrase/850086/7 "2020-03-25T15:38:52Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Ngram shows sudden increase in 1980 “Hunker down, you hairy dawgs!” is a popular rallying call for the University of Georgia bulldogs football team. UGA won the 1980 national championshp game. “Hunker down” in this context means “dig in your heels, get serious now, hold the line, this is the time to fight…”