What is "hunker down"

Hunker down \Hun"ker down\, v.

1. to crouch or squat; to sit on one's haunches.

2. to settle in at a location for an extended period; -- also (figuratively) to maintain a position and resist yielding to some pressure, as of public opinion.

3. to take shelter, literally or figuratively; to assume a defensive position to resist difficulties. ``We hunkered down to ride out the storm in an abandoned cabin.''

   While many businessmen were hunkering down for another bust after the lean years of the Second World War and the Great Depression before it, Taylor and company correctly reckoned it was the dawn of an era of prosperity and growth.
   --Richard Siklos [Shades of Black, 1995]

vb. 1 (context idiomatic English) To take shelter; to prepare oneself for some eventuality; to focus on a task. 2 (context idiomatic English) To stubbornly hold to a position.

1. v. sit on one's heels; "In some cultures, the women give birth while squatting"; "The children hunkered down to protect themselves from the sandstorm" [syn: squat, crouch, scrunch, scrunch up, hunker]

2. take shelter; "During the sandstorm, they hunkered down in a small hut"

3. hold stubbornly to a position; "The wife hunkered down and the husband's resistance began to break down"