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dig in

   Also found in: Idioms, Wikipedia 0.04 sec.
dig  (dg)
v. dug (dg), dig·ging, digs
v.tr.
1. To break up, turn over, or remove (earth or sand, for example), as with a shovel, spade, or snout, or with claws, paws or hands.
2.
a. To make or form by removing earth or other material: dig a trench; dug my way out of the snow.
b. To prepare (soil) by loosening or cultivating.
3.
a. To obtain or unearth by digging: dig coal out of a seam; dug potatoes from a field.
b. To obtain or find by an action similar to digging: dug a dollar out of his pocket; dug the puck out of the corner.
4. To learn or discover by careful research or investigation: dug up the evidence; dug out the real facts.
5. To force down and into something; thrust: dug his foot in the ground.
6. To poke or prod: dug me in the ribs.
7. Sports To strike or redirect (a ball) just before it hits the ground, as in tennis or volleyball.
8. Slang
a. To understand fully: Do you dig what I mean?
b. To like, enjoy, or appreciate: "They really dig our music and, daddy, I dig swinging for them" (Louis Armstrong).
c. To take notice of: Dig that wild outfit.
v.intr.
1. To loosen, turn over, or remove earth or other material.
2. To make one's way by or as if by pushing aside or removing material: dug through the files.
3. Slang To have understanding: Do you dig?
n.
1. A poke or thrust: a sharp dig in the ribs.
2. A sarcastic, taunting remark; a gibe.
3. An archaeological excavation.
4. Sports An act or an instance of digging a ball.
5. digs Lodgings.
Phrasal Verb:
dig in
1. To dig trenches for protection.
2. To hold on stubbornly, as to a position; entrench oneself.
3.
a. To begin to work intensively.
b. To begin to eat heartily.
Idioms:
dig in (one's) heels
To resist opposition stubbornly; refuse to yield or compromise.
dig it out
Slang To run as fast as one can, especially as a base runner in baseball.

[Middle English diggen; perhaps akin to Old French digue, dike, trench; see dhgw- in Indo-European roots. V., tr., sense 8 and intr., sense 3, perhaps influenced by Wolof degg, to hear, find out, understand, or Irish Gaelic tuigim, I understand.]
Our Living Language In its slang sense of "to enjoy," dig is one of the many words and expressions that come from African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Like cool, it is first recorded in 1930s jazz circles. While several AAVE expressions that have entered standard English from jazz still have musical associations, many others do not, and quite a few are so ordinary today that their origin in AAVE is not at all obvious. Some are no longer regarded as slang, such as badmouth, cakewalk, nitty-gritty, and main man. Others, like fox, "sexy woman," gig, and chump change are still slang or informal.

dig in
vb (adverb)
1. (Military) Military to create (a defensive position) by digging foxholes, trenches, etc.
2. Informal to entrench (oneself) firmly
3. (intr) Informal to defend or maintain a position firmly, as in an argument
4. (intr) Informal to begin vigorously to eat don't wait, just dig in
dig one's heels in Informal to refuse stubbornly to move or be persuaded
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Verb1.dig in - occupy a trench or secured area; "The troops dug in for the night"
2.dig in - eat heartily; "The food was placed on the table and the children pitched in"
eat - take in solid food; "She was eating a banana"; "What did you eat for dinner last night?"
Translations
? dig in
vi
(also dig oneself in: Mil, fig) → sich eingraben; the pickets are digging in for a long strikedie Streikposten stellen sich auf einen langen Streik ein
(inf: = eat) → reinhauen (inf)
vt sep
compostunter- or eingraben
(Mil) troops, tankseingraben
to dig one’s heels in (lit)die Hacken in den Boden stemmen; (fig)sich auf die Hinterbeine stellen (inf)


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
And when he was supposed to be working in the corn-fields, and the tall stalks hid him from Mombi's view, Tip would often dig in the gopher holes, or if the mood seized him -- lie upon his back between the rows of corn and take a nap.
What's a scratch here and a scrape there, a poke in this place and a dig in the other, to them.
Then they commenced to dig in the soft earth with their spears and parangs until they had excavated a shallow pit.
 
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