Idiom
dig in one's heels
Meaning
To act in a determined manner by firmly maintaining one's beliefs, demands, situation, etc. in the face of opposition.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He digs in his heels when he disagrees with his boss.”
“She digs in her heels when her parents try to choose her clothes.”
“The manager wanted to change the schedule, but the team dug in their heels and refused to work weekends.”
“The landlord tried to increase the rent early, but the tenants dug in their heels and pointed to the legal terms in their signed contract.”
“Despite the mounting pressure from the board to compromise, the CEO dug in her heels, insisting that the original vision for the company remain unchanged.”
Examples
simple
“He digs in his heels when he disagrees with his boss.”
“She digs in her heels when her parents try to choose her clothes.”
contextual
“The manager wanted to change the schedule, but the team dug in their heels and refused to work weekends.”
“The landlord tried to increase the rent early, but the tenants dug in their heels and pointed to the legal terms in their signed contract.”
complex
“Despite the mounting pressure from the board to compromise, the CEO dug in her heels, insisting that the original vision for the company remain unchanged.”
Origin
The expression derives from the physical necessity of planting one's heels firmly into the earth to secure a foothold. The posture is most commonly associated with the mechanical requirements of a tug of war, where pulling requires a fixed anchor, or with the act of bracing oneself to resist an oncoming push. It stands in contrast to the related physical metaphor of dragging one's feet, which describes a deliberate lack of momentum.
Key words
Related idioms
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