knuckle
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the joints in your fingers where they bend.
n.the joints between the phalanges of the fingers, or between the phalanges and the metacarpal bones.
Simple“He rapped his knuckles against the wooden door to see if anyone was home.”
In context“The cold weather made his knuckles swell, making it difficult for him to grip the steering wheel firmly during the morning commute.”
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
n.a cut of meat from the leg of an animal, like a pig or cow.
n.a cut of meat from the knee or ankle joint of a quadruped, typically a pig or calf.
Simple“We slow-cooked a ham knuckle until the meat fell off the bone.”
In context“The traditional recipe calls for a smoked pork knuckle to be simmered for several hours with sauerkraut and juniper berries.”
Synonymsshankhock - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to start working very hard or focusing on a task.
v.to apply oneself earnestly to a task; almost exclusively used in the phrasal verb 'knuckle down'.
Simple“If you want to pass the exam, you need to knuckle down and study.”
In context“With the deadline fast approaching, the design team had to knuckle down and finalise the blueprints before the board meeting.”
SynonymsAntonymsprocrastinateslacken - 04 C2 Proficiency
v.to stop fighting and accept someone else's power.
v.to yield or submit to pressure; almost exclusively used in the phrasal verb 'knuckle under'.
Simple“The small company refused to knuckle under to the big corporation's demands.”
In context“Despite intense political pressure from the opposition, the prime minister refused to knuckle under and change the proposed legislation.”
From Middle English knokel (“finger joint”), from Old English cnucel (“the juncture of two bones; knuckle; joint”), from Proto-West Germanic knukil, from Proto-Germanic knukilaz (“knuckle, knot, bump”), as knukô (“bone, joint”) + -ilaz (diminutive suffix). Cognate with Dutch knokkel (“knuckle”), Low German Knökel (“knuckle”), German Knöchel (“ankle, knuckle”), Old Norse knykill.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.