Definitions
01finger joint
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
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.
“He rapped his knuckles against the wooden door to see if anyone was home.”
“The cold weather made his knuckles swell, making it difficult for him to grip the steering wheel firmly during the morning commute.”
Synonyms
02cut of meat
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Cooking Technical
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.
“We slow-cooked a ham knuckle until the meat fell off the bone.”
“The traditional recipe calls for a smoked pork knuckle to be simmered for several hours with sauerkraut and juniper berries.”
Synonyms
03to work hard
B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal
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'.
“If you want to pass the exam, you need to knuckle down and study.”
“With the deadline fast approaching, the design team had to knuckle down and finalise the blueprints before the board meeting.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
04to give in
C2 · Proficiency Formal
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'.
“The small company refused to knuckle under to the big corporation's demands.”
“Despite intense political pressure from the opposition, the prime minister refused to knuckle under and change the proposed legislation.”
Usage
Commonly used in the plural; often appears in idioms like 'a rap on the knuckles' or 'white-knuckle'.
Real-World Examples
“To “knuckle down” is a way of life in southeast England, where the game of marbles has been played for more than 200 years.” “Values are not the sort of things you can see, or taste, or rap your knuckles on, or put in your pocket.” Etymology
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.
Idioms
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0