noun
- a joint of a finger, especially one of the articulations of a metacarpal with a phalanx.
- the rounded prominence of such a joint when the finger is bent.
- a joint of meat, consisting of the parts about the carpal or tarsal joint of a quadruped.
- an angle or protrusion at the intersection of two members or surfaces, as in the timbers of a ship or in a roof.
- brass knuckles.
- a cylindrical projecting part on a hinge, through which an axis or pin passes; the joint of a hinge.
- (in a wire mesh) a bend in a wire crossing another wire.
- (on a chair arm) one of the ridges left at the front end by longitudinal flutes carved to accommodate the fingers.
- Nautical. a pronounced edge formed by a change in the form of the shell of a hull.
verb (used with object), knuck·led, knuck·ling.
- to rub or press with the knuckles.
- Marbles. to shoot (a marble) from the thumb and forefinger.
Verb Phrases
- knuckle down,
- to apply oneself vigorously and earnestly; become serious: Just knuckle down for an hour or so and finish the work.
- Also knuckle under.to submit; yield.
noun
- a joint of a finger, esp that connecting a finger to the hand
- a joint of veal, pork, etc, consisting of the part of the leg below the knee joint, often used in making stews or stock
- the cylindrical portion of a hinge through which the pin passes
- an angle joint between two members of a structure
- near the knuckle informal approaching indecency
verb
- (tr) to rub or press with the knuckles
- (intr) to keep the knuckles on the ground while shooting a marble
mid-14c., knokel “finger joint; any joint of the body, especially a knobby one; morbid lump or swelling;” common Germanic (cf. Middle Low German knökel, Middle Dutch cnockel, German knöchel), literally “little bone,” a diminutive of Proto-Germanic root *knuck- “bone” (cf. German Knochen “bone).
As a verb from 1740, originally in the game of marbles. To knuckle down “apply oneself earnestly” is 1864 in American English, extended from marbles (putting a knuckle on the ground in assuming the hand position preliminary to shooting); to knuckle under “submit, give in” is first recorded 1740, supposedly from the former more general sense of “knuckle” and here meaning “knee,” hence “to kneel.” The face-busting knuckle-duster is from 1858 (a duster was a type of protective coat worn by workmen).
n.
- The prominence of the dorsal aspect of a joint of a finger, especially of one of the joints that connect the fingers to the hand.
- A rounded protuberance formed by the bones in a joint.
- A kink or loop of intestine, as in a hernia.
In addition to the idioms beginning with knuckle
- knuckle down
- knuckle under
also see:
- rap someone’s knuckles