hunker down

Hun´ker down

v.	1.	to crouch or squat; to sit on one's haunches.
	2.	to settle in at a location for an extended period; - also (figuratively) to maintain a position and resist yielding to some pressure, as of public opinion.
	3.	to take shelter, literally or figuratively; to assume a defensive position to resist difficulties. While many businessmen were hunkering down for another bust after the lean years of the Second World War and the Great Depression before it, Taylor and company correctly reckoned it was the dawn of an era of prosperity and growth. - Richard Siklos [Shades of Black, 1995]

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	hunker down - sit on one's heels; "In some cultures, the women give birth while squatting"; "The children hunkered down to protect themselves from the sandstorm" hunker, scrunch up, squat, scrunch, crouch sit, sit down - be seated
	2.	hunker down - take shelter; "During the sandstorm, they hunkered down in a small hut" hide out, hide - be or go into hiding; keep out of sight, as for protection and safety; "Probably his horse would be close to where he was hiding"; "She is hiding out in a cabin in Montana"
	3.	hunker down - hold stubbornly to a position; "The wife hunkered down and the husband's resistance began to break down" hold firm, stand fast, stand pat, stand firm - refuse to abandon one's opinion or belief

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hunker down

verb (U.S. informal) squat, crouch (down), hunch Betty hunkered down on the floor