knuckle (redirected from knuckles)

*knuckle sandwich

Inf. a punch. (*Typically: ask for ~; get ~; give someone ~; want ~.) A: Nyah! Your mother smokes cigars! B: You want a knuckle sandwich?

See also: sandwich

get one's knuckles rapped 

1. Lit. to get one's knuckles struck with a ruler as a punishment. I got my knuckles rapped for whispering too much. You will have your knuckles rapped if you are not careful.

2. Fig. to receive a minor punishment. The lawyer got his knuckles rapped for talking back to the judge. Better watch your tongue if you don't want to get your knuckles rapped.

See also: get, rap

knuckle down (to something)

Fig. to get busy doing something. I want you to knuckle down to your work and stop worrying about the past. Come on. Knuckle down. Get busy.

knuckle under (to someone or something)

to submit to someone or something; to yield or give in to someone or something. You have to knuckle under to your boss if you expect to keep your job. I'm too stubborn to knuckle under.

rap someone across the knuckles and rap someone on the knuckles; rap someone's knuckles

to strike someone on the knuckles. As punishment, she rapped him across the knuckles. The teacher rapped the student on the knuckles.

See also: across, rap

white knuckle something

to survive something threatening through strained endurance, that is to say, holding on tight. The flight from New York was terrible. We had to white knuckle the entire flight.

See also: white

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a knuckle sandwich  (humorous)

if you give someone a knuckle sandwich, you hit them You'll get a knuckle sandwich if you don't shut up.

See also: sandwich

a rap across/on/over the knuckles

a punishment which is not very severe but which warns you not to behave that way again The company received a rap over the knuckles from the Food and Drug Administration. Her remarks earned her a sharp rap across the knuckles from the Prime Minister.

See also: across, rap

be near the knuckle  (British informal)

if a joke or a remark is near the knuckle, it is about sex in a way that some people find offensive Some of his jokes were a bit near the knuckle and, unfortunately, I was watching the show with my parents.

See also: near

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knuckle down

to work hard You're going to have to knuckle down to improve your grades if you want to get into a good college. Volunteers really knuckled down and cleaned up the town after the storm.

knuckle under (to somebody/something)

to accept unwillingly what someone or something demands We want to reach an agreement, but we won't knuckle under to their demands.

Related vocabulary: give in (to somebody/something)