DYK: Knuckle under comes from the 18th century – here is where the phrase came from

DYK: Did you know?

Knuckle under means to give way or submit. The word knuckle in the 18th century,  was used used to mean ‘acknowledge oneself beaten; submit to another’s authority’submissive-cats

Dyche and Pardon, in their A dictionary of all the words commonly us’d in the English tongue, 1740, defined ‘knuckle’ like this:

“Knuckle or knuckle down: to stoop, bend, yield, comply with, or submit to.

 ‘Knuckle under’ was later coined in the USA, also with the same meaning.

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Three complete historical novels! Tapestry of Love Historical Series 2nd edition 2015 –

Court records dating back to the 1630s create historical accuracy as the reader is taken back to the primitive days of colonial Virginia and Maryland where the Pattendens encounter life-changing difficulties with Indians, ducking stools, illness, massacres, death, loneliness, love, and greed.

READER REVIEW OF RIBBON OF LOVE: 2nd edition – A Novel of Colonial America  Book one: The exhilarating action and subplots keep the reader in constant anticipation. It is almost impossible to put the book down until completion. – Dr. Don P. Brandon, Retired Professor, Anderson University