Knuckle

[nuhk-uh l] /ˈnʌk əl/

noun
1.
a joint of a finger, especially one of the articulations of a metacarpal with a phalanx.
2.
the rounded prominence of such a joint when the finger is bent.
3.
a joint of meat, consisting of the parts about the carpal or tarsal joint of a quadruped.
4.
an angle or protrusion at the intersection of two members or surfaces, as in the timbers of a ship or in a roof.
5.
.
6.
a cylindrical projecting part on a hinge, through which an axis or pin passes; the joint of a hinge.
7.
(in a wire mesh) a bend in a wire crossing another wire.
8.
(on a chair arm) one of the ridges left at the front end by longitudinal flutes carved to accommodate the fingers.
9.
Nautical. a pronounced edge formed by a change in the form of the shell of a hull.
verb (used with object), knuckled, knuckling.
10.
to rub or press with the knuckles.
11.
Marbles. to shoot (a marble) from the thumb and forefinger.
Verb phrases
12.
knuckle down,

/ˈnʌkəl/
noun
1.
a joint of a finger, esp that connecting a finger to the hand
2.
a joint of veal, pork, etc, consisting of the part of the leg below the knee joint, often used in making stews or stock
3.
the cylindrical portion of a hinge through which the pin passes
4.
an angle joint between two members of a structure
5.
(informal) near the knuckle, approaching indecency
verb
6.
(transitive) to rub or press with the knuckles
7.
(intransitive) to keep the knuckles on the ground while shooting a marble
n.

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).

knuckle knuck·le (nŭk’əl)
n.

Related Terms

white knuckle