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verb (used without object)
1.
to squat on one's heels (often followed by down).
2.
Informal.
a.
to hunch: The driver hunkered over the steering wheel.
b.
to hide, hide out, or take shelter (usually followed by down): The escaped convicts hunkered down in a cave in the mountains.
c.
to hold resolutely or stubbornly to a policy, opinion, etc., when confronted by criticism, opposition, or unfavorable circumstances (usually followed by down): Though all the evidence was against him, he hunkered down and refused to admit his guilt.
3.
Slang. to lumber along; walk or move slowly or aimlessly.
noun
4.
hunkers, one's haunches.
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Hunker
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
5.
on one's hunkers,
a.
British Informal. squatting on one's heels.
b.
suffering a period of poverty, bad luck, or the like.
Origin:
1710–20; apparently hunk (perhaps nasalized variant of huck haunch; akin to Old Norse hūka to crouch) + -er6
1710–20; apparently hunk (perhaps nasalized variant of huck haunch; akin to Old Norse hūka to crouch) + -er6
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
a member of the conservative faction in the Democratic party in New York State, 1845–48.
Compare Barnburner.
Origin:
1835–45, Americanism; origin uncertain
1835–45, Americanism; origin uncertain
Related forms
Hun·ker·ism, noun
Hun·ker·ous, adjective
Hun·ker·ous·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To hunker
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
hunker
"to squat, crouch," 1720, Scottish, probably from O.N. huka "to crouch," hoka, hokra "to crawl." Hunker down, Southern U.S. dialectal phrase, popularized c.1965, from northern British hunker "haunch."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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