belly up to the bar

present singular third person bellies up to the bar · participle present bellying up to the bar · participle past bellied up to the bar · past bellied up to the bar

1. USidiomaticTo commit oneself to a challenge or task; to accept a responsibility; to acknowledge a fact.

   "[T]he congressional committees aren't gonna belly up to the bar and say, 'We authorized this,'" says Scheuer.

   2005 March 4, Rebecca Leung, “CIA Flying Suspects to Torture?”, in CBS News, retrieved 25 Mar 2015

   3 more examples

   Allen declines to discuss acquisition plans. . . . Nonetheless, W. Whitley Hawkins, whom Allen recently promoted to president from executive vice-president for marketing, asks the question out loud: "Are we going to belly up to the bar? All Pan Am assets for sale have some appeal to us."

   1991 June 2, “If Delta's Going To Make A Move, 'It's Now Or Never'”, in Businessweek, retrieved 05 Apr 2015

   “When he was going through his impeachment problems, it was the black community that bellied up to the bar,” Mr. Clyburn said.

   2008 April 25, Mark Leibovich, “Black Leader in the House Sharply Criticizes Bill Clinton”, in New York Times, retrieved 05 Apr 2015

   "They're going to have to belly up to the bar and take up these difficult issues," said G. William Hoagland, who served as director of budget and appropriations.

   2014 December 14, Deirdre Shesgreen, “Boehner, McConnell face big to-do list in next Congress”, in USA Today, retrieved 25 Mar 2015

   Synonyms: knuckle down, man up, pull up one's socks, roll up one's sleeves