knuckle
- a joint of a finger, especially one of the articulations of a metacarpal with a phalanx.
- the rounded prominence of such a joint when the finger is bent.
- a joint of meat, consisting of the parts about the carpal or tarsal joint of a quadruped.
- an angle or protrusion at the intersection of two members or surfaces, as in the timbers of a ship or in a roof.
- brass knuckles.
- a cylindrical projecting part on a hinge, through which an axis or pin passes; the joint of a hinge.
- (in a wire mesh) a bend in a wire crossing another wire.
- (on a chair arm) one of the ridges left at the front end by longitudinal flutes carved to accommodate the fingers.
- Nautical. a pronounced edge formed by a change in the form of the shell of a hull.
- to rub or press with the knuckles.
- Marbles. to shoot (a marble) from the thumb and forefinger.
- knuckle down,
- to apply oneself vigorously and earnestly; become serious: Just knuckle down for an hour or so and finish the work.
- Also knuckle under.to submit; yield.
Origin of knuckle
Related Words for knuckle
defer, surrender, agree, acknowledge, quit, perish, wilt, buckle, yield, bow, cease, capitulate, relinquish, cede, renounce, waive, leave, concede, submit, abandonExamples from the Web for knuckle
Contemporary Examples of knuckle
As I rub my left hand, I notice a small bruise around the knuckle of my pinkie finger.
The painting, created between 1500 and 1525, features a wealthy woman in a bejeweled collar, also wearing a first knuckle ring.
First Knuckle Rings, Popular During the Renaissance, Return to FashionMisty White Sidell
January 31, 2013
“Being new in town, it was really important to focus and knuckle down,” she said of her decision to focus on acting.
He is tough, a Scottish bruiser when it comes to a knuckle fight.
Can we tighten our belts, knuckle down and use that knowledge that our forefathers and mothers gave us?
Historical Examples of knuckle
Also with knuckle of veal, and with calf's head boiled plain.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various BranchesEliza Leslie
He now presented his knuckle to the key and received a strong spark.
A knuckle requires more boiling in proportion to its weight, than any other joint, to render the gristle soft and tender.
Yes, he wants me to strengthen a knuckle—he's spoken considerable about it.
The Flying MercuryEleanor M. Ingram
He figured me out as the prodigal son, and wa'n't goin' to knuckle.
They of the High TrailsHamlin Garland
knuckle
- a joint of a finger, esp that connecting a finger to the hand
- a joint of veal, pork, etc, consisting of the part of the leg below the knee joint, often used in making stews or stock
- the cylindrical portion of a hinge through which the pin passes
- an angle joint between two members of a structure
- near the knuckle informal approaching indecency
- (tr) to rub or press with the knuckles
- (intr) to keep the knuckles on the ground while shooting a marble
Word Origin for knuckle
Word Origin and History for knuckle
mid-14c., knokel "finger joint; any joint of the body, especially a knobby one; morbid lump or swelling;" common Germanic (cf. Middle Low German knökel, Middle Dutch cnockel, German knöchel), literally "little bone," a diminutive of Proto-Germanic root *knuck- "bone" (cf. German Knochen "bone).
As a verb from 1740, originally in the game of marbles. To knuckle down "apply oneself earnestly" is 1864 in American English, extended from marbles (putting a knuckle on the ground in assuming the hand position preliminary to shooting); to knuckle under "submit, give in" is first recorded 1740, supposedly from the former more general sense of "knuckle" and here meaning "knee," hence "to kneel." The face-busting knuckle-duster is from 1858 (a duster was a type of protective coat worn by workmen).
knuckle
(nŭk′əl)- The prominence of the dorsal aspect of a joint of a finger, especially of one of the joints that connect the fingers to the hand.
- A rounded protuberance formed by the bones in a joint.
- A kink or loop of intestine, as in a hernia.
Idioms and Phrases with knuckle
knuckle
In addition to the idioms beginning with knuckle
- knuckle down
- knuckle under
also see:
- rap someone's knuckles